Food pantries feeling the squeeze as food costs, fuel rise

Laura Fitzgerald, Port Huron Times Herald
·5 min read

As the cost of food, fuel and other necessities rises, local and regional food pantries are feeling the squeeze while trying to keep their shelves stocked and clients served.

And one local public safety department is looking to ease the financial pressure many local families are feeling with a drive-thru food distribution.

The Marysville Public Safety Department, in partnership with the SOS Marysville food pantry, will hold the distribution from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at 1355 Delaware Ave. Attendees will receive a bag of food, which will be placed in their vehicle in a drive-thru style. No proof of need is required. It will be first come, first served.

Marysville Fire Capt. Andrew Thomas said the department was looking for a way to give back to the community, especially moving into the holiday season, when money can be tight for some. The food pantry sourced a food truck from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.

Those who are interested in volunteering should contact Thomas at (810) 364-3611 or athomas@cityofmarysvillemi.com.

Local food pantries reporting increase in clients

SOS Marysville Director Carmela Burns said it seems that more clients are entering the pantry now than this time last year. The pantry has tried to meet that need by opening for an additional day in the last year.

"The people that we see are struggling," Burns said.

Bill Heinen, Vice President of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, which runs the Blue Water Community Food Depot, said the depot has seen a nearly 50% increase in clients in September versus the same month last year.

Heinen said one contributing factor to the increase in customers could be mostly due to the fact that there is less public assistance available and less large-scale food distributions than last year and in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a sentiment echoed by Burns.

It seems that the population that has experienced the most increase in need are seniors, who are squeezed by rising inflation while living on fixed incomes, Burns said.

The SOS Marysville pantry also serves numerous families and single mothers. In September of this year, the pantry served 867 individuals, Burns said.

SOS Marysville bustled with clients and volunteers Tuesday afternoon. Tina Lee, a volunteer at the pantry, stacked the shelves with new products. Another volunteer was helping two other customers check out with their items.

And as soon as a group of seniors left the pantry, another pair came in, grabbed a grocery cart, and began browsing the shelves of limited supplies within the little shop. There was only one box of cereal left on the shelf.

As food costs rise, it also restricts what pantries can buy to stock their shelves. Burns said rising food costs and limits on how much food they can buy at major retailers makes keeping stocked shelves difficult.

"We're trying to find a way to keep doing what we're doing," Burns said. "But everything is so high and sometimes we have a hard time getting food as well to maintain our shelves."

Food Bank of Eastern Michigan sees slowing food distribution numbers

Heather Bearden, regional outreach manager for the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, also said rising food and fuel costs, as well as a decrease in corporate donations, have most likely impacted the amount of food the food bank has been able to distribute. The food bank's trucks drive an average of 30,000 miles a month, which equates to an additional $15,000 a month in fuel costs compared to pre-pandemic.

In fiscal year 2019, which runs from Oct. 1, 2018, to Sept. 30, 2019, the food bank distributed 1,494,529 pounds of food in St. Clair County, and 885,004 in Sanilac County. This is compared to 2,904,939 and 2,373,603 pounds in fiscal year 2020; 2,060,893 and 2,073,112 in 2021; and 1,091,560 and 982,169 from Oct. 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022.

At the same time, Bearden said the food bank has focused its efforts in the 2021-2022 fiscal year on increasing capacity for its community partners. More than $68,000 was distributed to organizations in the Thumb region, which includes St. Clair, Sanilac, Lapeer, Tuscola and Huron counties. Projects include:

  • A new forklift for Valiant Ministries in Croswell

  • A replacement fridge/freezer for the Blue Water Food Depot in Port Huron and for Blue Water Safe Horizons in Port Huron

  • Walk-in coolers for Crossroads Community Church in China Township and for a Harbor Impact in Kimball Township

  • Financial assistance for building and roof repair for C3 Connection in Capac

  • Funding to build a pantry for Melvin United Methodist Church

How to help

SOS Marysville food pantry is always accepting donations of food and cash. To donate, stop by the pantry at 2929 Gratiot Blvd. during opening hours, or food can be dropped off at the side door after hours. The pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, 1-4 p.m. Wednesdays, and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursdays.

The food pantry also will accept volunteers. To volunteer or inquire, stop by the pantry during open hours, call (810) 364-6333, email SOSMFP811@gmail.com or visit their Facebook page at SOS Marysville Food Pantry.

The Blue Water Community Food Depot also accepts donations at 2408 10th St. during its open hours from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Call (810) 987-7886 or visit their Facebook page at Blue Water Community Food Depot to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

To donate, volunteer or learn more about the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, visit fbem.org/.

Contact Laura Fitzgerald at (810) 941-7072 or lfitzgeral@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: Marysville food pantries feeling squeeze as food costs, fuel rise