2021 Patch Holiday Food Drive In Imperial Beach: Give Today
IMPERIAL BEACH, CA — A stubborn pandemic, rising food prices, and supply chain issues combine to increase the urgency of the 2021 Patch Holiday Food Drive, which is taking place through Dec. 31 in Imperial Beach and across our network of more than 1,000 sites.
When the COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives of Americans last year and threw them into a sea of uncertainty, Patch partnered with Feeding America because we knew some of the estimated 13.1 million working-age adults who asked for free meals or groceries for the first time included people here in Imperial Beach.
The situation has eased some as Americans go back to work, but food insecurity remains a big problem. Feeding America estimated that 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, would face food insecurity in 2021.
Before the pandemic, 9.2 percent of people in San Diego County were considered to be food insecure, according to Feeding America. The continuing economic fallout from the pandemic has increased that number to 11.4 percent who could be on the brink of hunger.
If you are hungry, you can get food from the San Diego Food Bank. Call 1-866-350-FOOD (3663).
Higher prices at the grocery store make it worse for people who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. Officials at the nation's 200 food banks, which supply 60,000 local food pantries and meal programs around the country, are paying two to three times more than they were before the pandemic as supply chain bottlenecks, lower inventory and labor shortages drive up food costs.
Bryan Nichols, the vice president of sales for Transnational Foods Inc., which delivers food to more than 100 food banks associated with Feeding America, told The Associated Press that supply chain issues may be easing, but the higher costs of food shipped from overseas will stick around for a while.
"An average container coming from Asia prior to COVID would cost about $4,000," Nichols said. "Today, that same container is about $18,000."
Peanut butter is another staple that hungry families rely on because it has relatively high nutritional value and is available for a price they can afford — or, rather, it was.
Lynne Telford, the chief executive at the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado in Colorado Springs, told the AP the cost of a truckload — or 40,000 pounds — of peanut butter has soared 80 percent from June 2019 to $51,000 in August. It costs 19 percent more to make mac and cheese than it did a year ago, and 5 percent more to cook a hamburger than it did three months ago.
Katie Fitzgerald, Feeding America's CEO, told the AP she's not sure how long food banks will be able to absorb the higher costs.
"What happens when food prices go up is food insecurity for those who are experiencing it just gets worse," Fitzgerald said.
That means people who are used to getting a family-size can of tuna may have to settle for smaller cans or substitute some other staple to stretch their food dollars. It's like adding “insult to injury” reeling from the uncertainty wrought by the pandemic, Fitzgerald said.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
How You Can Help
Now through Dec. 31, we're encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals.
Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2021, more than 32 million Americans, including 13 million children, will not have enough nutritious food to eat. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.
This article originally appeared on the Imperial Beach Patch
