Many were forced to turn to food banks and similar programs for the very first time.
Organizations struggled to meet the growing need and now they’re facing yet another challenge, right before the holidays. Surging food prices, supply chain issues, and lower inventory are impacting hunger relief programs across our area.
Boca Helping Hands is just one of the local non-profits really feeling the pinch right now.
From drive-thru grocery distributions and serving warm meals, to sending kids home from school with food for the weekend, the organization works year-round to make sure people in Palm Beach County have enough to eat but with the price of groceries skyrocketing and supplies low, they’re having a hard time keeping shelves stocked which hurts those who need it most.
Gregory Hazel is the Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. He says the need is also particularly urgent right now because a dollar doesn’t stretch very far at the grocery store these days so more people are turning to their organization to help get by.
“Most of the people who participate in our feeding programs are working people and they’re using our pantry program, for example, as a way of supplementing their income. When food costs more to supplement, the need is even greater,” he said.
The non-profit is now leaning on the community to help them keep up.
“A number of organizations, a number of residential communities, churches, all of the community organizations that have been partners with us, are trying to respond to the crisis by conducting more food drives.”
Hazel says the need for help goes beyond food and money donations. What places like Boca Helping Hands really need right now is volunteers.
He says the number of people volunteering hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels yet so not only are they struggling to meet the spike in demand, they’re trying to do so with fewer people to help.
On top of all that, Hazel says hunger relief programs have seen a dramatic decrease in federal support coming in, like from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, referring to the current crisis as a ‘perfect storm.’ He says they are confident they will make it through the holidays thanks to the community's support but are unsure what the new year will bring.
