Food pantries crunched between cost hikes, needs

Jenna Blount, Clinton Herald, Iowa
·2 min read

Jul. 7—CLINTON — Food pantries in the U.S. have been experiencing an increase in demand due to the rising cost of food. Pantries in Clinton and Camanche are no exception.

"We've noticed an uptick in people coming in," Resources of Camanche board member Alicia Snodgrass says. "It's just hard for families to come up with the money to buy all of your groceries at once and so we're here to supplement that and provide what we can."

Regan Michaelsen, executive director of Information, Referral & Assistance Services, says the need for the organization's Pantries United services has definitely increased.

"We're seeing people that we haven't seen before," she says, "as well as our usual people who need help with food."

Snodgrass and Michaelsen both, demographically speaking, noted senior citizens are making up a significant part of the increase in each pantry's recipients.

Michaelsen says, generally, though, "We're seeing needs all across the board."

The amount of donations that both of these food pantries have been receiving hasn't significantly changed, but the pantry at Information, Referral & Assistance Services location on First Avenue in Clinton normally serves 75 people each month. For each of the last few months, it's served from 200 to 225 people.

Michaelsen says though, they're not seeing the same purchase discounts from Riverbend Food Bank as they used to because food banks are also struggling to fulfill demands.

"A lot of it is almost what we would be paying at a local grocer," she says. Some items were able to be obtained by the food pantries for as little as 70 cents a pound.

"While there is still some stuff like that," Michaelsen explains, "it's not the staple items that we would normally need for our food pantry."

To make a donation to Resources of Camanche, visit or mail your donation to the pantry at 817 Seventh Ave., Camanche.

To make a donation to Pantries United, visit or mail your donation to Information, Referral & Assistance Services at 219 First Ave., Clinton. Donations can also be made online through IRASClinton.com.