With inflation and supply chain disruption, it’s tougher for some food banks to stock certain items. They’ve already seen an enormous surge in demand during the pandemic. Some food banks worry they won’t have enough supplies to give out during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“We've learned from previous years to order turkeys in May. … We brought in about 20,000 turkeys this year for distribution. We certainly could use more,” says Michael Flood, president and CEO of the LA Regional Food Bank. “That's certainly … dependent on funding that's available, given we’re a nonprofit. But the longer you wait, especially around this holiday season, the more likely there either is going to be a delay, or the item’s just not going to be available.”
He adds, “Any family or individual, they're feeling it … with dairy, eggs, meat items. The only items that seem to not have increased markedly [in price] is fresh fruits and some vegetables. … But for a lot of other food items, it's hitting people in the pocketbook.”