Demand for the York County Food Bank's services exceeds levels of the pandemic

Mike Argento, York Daily Record
·4 min read
1

In 2022, during the height of the COVID pandemic and its associated lockdowns and closures and mass furloughs, food insecurity spiked.  

Many families found themselves in dire straits. Unemployment spiked. Benefits lagged. Hard choices had to be made between keeping a roof over their heads or putting food on the table.

Those who battle food insecurity had never seen anything like it. More people, many of whom never sought help before, needed help. The line of cars at the York County Food Bank’s distributions, when it was held at the old Kmart building on Haines Road, threaded through neighboring Fayfield to Market Street, a line about a mile long.

As assistance from the federal government arrived, in the form of an expanded Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, a moratorium on evictions and expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit, demand eased.

As the economy recovered inflation spiked. At the same time, wages stagnated and failed to keep up with higher food and housing costs. Those who increased donations to the food bank, and its associated agencies, slacked off, believing the crisis was over.
As the economy recovered inflation spiked. At the same time, wages stagnated and failed to keep up with higher food and housing costs. Those who increased donations to the food bank, and its associated agencies, slacked off, believing the crisis was over.

It seemed the worst was over.

It wasn’t.

As the economy recovered, inflation spiked. Food prices increased dramatically. At the same time, the increased SNAP benefits expired, as did the moratorium on evictions and the Child Tax Credit. At the same time, wages stagnated and failed to keep up with higher food and housing costs. Those who increased donations to the food bank, and its associated agencies, slacked off, believing the crisis was over.

It was, advocates said, a perfect storm.

“We knew,” said Jen Brillhart, president and CEO of the York County Food Bank, said. “We were prepared for this. We’ve done our best to bring in as much food as we could.”

Still, the system is stressed. Eric Saunders, CEO of New Hope Ministries, an affiliate of the food bank that operates nine food pantries in York, Adams and Cumberland counties, said demand for services has increased by 30 percent a quarter over the past two years.

“More people are coming and they’re coming more often,” Saunders said. There is a great divide in the economy, he said. Those at the upper end of the economic spectrum are doing all right. Those at the lower end have lost income and face increasing expenses.

“We just want to make sure people don’t forget about your hungry neighbors,” he said.

Previously: John Sajko faces the end of his life as he worked at York County Food Bank to end hunger

The York County Food Bank, which works with 80-plus agencies in the area, has seen a 40 percent increase in demand for food over the same period last year, Brillhart said. And that has occurred during a time of lower donations.

“We had a ton of support during COVID,” Brillhart said. “That has gone down.”

And that is occurring at a time, she said, when the agencies the food bank works with are seeing higher demand for services than they saw during the pandemic.

Previously: Once a client of the York County Food Bank, he's now a dedicated volunteer

Jen Brillhart, president and CEO of the York County Food Bank, with food packers behind her at their Manchester Township warehouse.
Jen Brillhart, president and CEO of the York County Food Bank, with food packers behind her at their Manchester Township warehouse.

“We continue to see new families, new individuals, who never sought out help before,” Brillhart said.

One of the ironies is that some people who go back to work face the loss or cuts of their SNAP benefits, she said.

Brillhart also cited recent U.S. Census data that showed that the poverty rate has increased by 60 percent, double for children.

There are some good signs, she said. The food bank’s donor base is expanding, but on the other hand, the overall level of giving has decreased.

In short, she said, “There is pressure all over.”

Saunders is optimistic, to a point.

“We’re making do,” he said. “We’re not turning people away. We’re going to get through this. I just don’t see signs of getting better any time soon.”

Food packers fill boxes at the York County Food Bank.
Food packers fill boxes at the York County Food Bank.

Christmas Emergency Fund benefits the York County Food Bank

Each holiday season, the York Daily Record and the Hanover Evening Sun offer readers the opportunity to help our community through the Christmas Emergency Fund.

Many residents of York County have struggled to put food on the table as inflation has driven up grocery costs.

The holidays are a time for food, family and generosity, but it's hard to enjoy the home and hearth if the cupboard is bare. And food insecurity extends well beyond the holidays for many people.

That's why for the second year in a row we have chosen the York County Food Bank as the beneficiary of this year's fundraising effort. For more than 30 years, the York County Food Bank has espoused the principle that food is a basic human right, distributing millions of healthy meals each year. Last year, the food bank gave out more than 2.1 million meals to food insecure York countians.

You can help increase that by giving generously −as our readers did last year, donating nearly $40,000 to help their neighbors in need.

Traditions Bank is partnering with us to collect and disburse mailed donations – all free of charge so every penny goes to help local folks.

Please help! You can donate online at https://dsnp.co/aqZUwa, or checks can be mailed to: YDR Christmas Emergency Fund C/O Traditions Bank, 226 Pauline Drive, York, PA 17402-0136.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Demand for York County PA Food Bank's services exceeds COVID levels