Inflation is up and the increasing cost of food has many families turning to local food banks for the holidays. Director of Feeding Louisiana Pat Van Burkleo says there’s a growing need for donations to food banks because many families don’t have extra money in their budget.
“We’re seeing pandemic level of number of people coming into food banks. And the food banks in Louisiana, there’s five regional food banks are really busy trying to meet the needs of those families.”
More than 683 thousand people in Louisiana live with food insecurity. That’s the total populations of Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans combined.
Burkleo says the cost of food items is up about 5 percent from this time last year. He says the cost of a turkey and all the sides are up due to inflation and donations are down.
“The dollars that we have secured to buy food doesn’t go as far as it use to. Food retailers, they have less inventory. And so we’re not seeing as much donations as we did in previous years because theres just not that much more to give.”
Burkleo says there are many individuals who continue to donate, and they are extremely grateful for their assistance. He urges the public to donate during the Thanksgiving holiday.
“At this time of the year people want turkeys, turkeys, turkeys. So if you go to your local grocery store and buy an extra turkey and drop it off at a food bank that would be outstanding.”
To support Louisiana food banks, visit FeedingLouisiana.org.
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