Shortages at Food Pantries

During COVID-19 and the economic downturn, more people than ever are relying on food pantries to feed their families and survive. The increased demand on food assistance has led food banks and pantries to run out of supplies, struggling to keep their shelves full and meet the needs of their community.

Volunteers at a local food pantry described the stark contrast between the reality now as opposed to before the coronavirus:

“Yesterday [Sunday], I was there at my food pantry [to volunteer], and I hadn’t been there for a long time... And I went and I was packing the bags, and the bags were so, they were so light. We had to find food, stuff to put in the bags, even though they had had a delivery on Saturday [the day before]. And I just was reminiscing about before the COVID, um, the food pantry would be so stocked and you wouldn’t see any bare shelves and each bag would be so heavy that you couldn’t pick it up. 

But yesterday the bags were so light that, um, a little child could pick the bag up. So I don’t know what else they were gonna put in the bag today, because today was the food pantry and that's, you know, and with that change, I know the clients that are coming, the regular clients [they are going to say] ‘oh my goodness, where is the food. There is not enough food in this bag.

But I was talking to the organizer and he was saying when they go to the food bank, instead of getting 10 orders, they can only request 3 orders on account of the people that are requesting food from the food bank on account of COVID-19".   

The shortage of resources at food banks is felt deeply by those who rely on that food. Berta, a single mother of three kids, has been receiving food deliveries from a local church, but is struggling with an inconsistent delivery schedule:

“Sometimes [the church] gives out [food boxes] once a week, but when there’s a shortage they give out [food boxes] once every two weeks.”

The last delivery Berta received was two weeks ago and the church has told her she will need to wait another week. These deliveries are important for her because, in addition to pasta and milk, the boxes include vegetables like tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and carrots, staples that she finds are among the most expensive at the groceries stores now:

“I know that there are a lot of people who also need (the boxes), so that’s why they don't give out like that [now].”

Our respondents also report that some food pantries have shortages of volunteers, in large part because infection risk has led to a drop off in seniors who volunteer.  

There is no state-wide data system that tracks shortages at food pantries, either of food or of volunteers.