Food pantries increase services, clientele as inflation takes bigger bite of budgets

Michael Mecenas used to get fresh produce from the Family Table Collaborative in South Yarmouth once a week for the immigrant families served by his organization, the Health Ministry Inc. in Hyannis.

But with inflation taking a bigger bite out of food budgets and gas prices rising, Mecenas now delivers celery, cherries, red peppers and other donated surplus fruits and vegetables to families' doorsteps three times a week.

Families and individuals using the The Family Pantry of Cape Cod in Harwich used to have to wait two weeks between visits.

About two months ago, the rules changed to allow visits once very 10 days, and that may decrease to seven days in the near future, Family Pantry Executive Director Christine Menard said.

“We just changed it because the need is growing," Menard said.

“It’s much more difficult for our families now than it was during the pandemic," she said.

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Aid has dried up, but inflation and the cost of living are increasing.

“They tell us all the time they can’t get the food they need because (the price is) so high," Menard said.

Food is in short supply for those in need, according to advocates

Nonprofit organizations that provide groceries and food to Cape Codders in need are expanding services and taking on more clients in the face of an economic climate that is taking a particularly heavy toll on service industry workers and older people who make up much of the Cape's population.

"We have seen a very large increase in demand from a number of households who need food. We have seen a 38% increase in the number of households in need over the last year," said Kerin Delaney, executive director of the Falmouth Service Center.

​From January to May, the service center distributed 31,391 bags of food to 1,379 households representing 3,647 individuals, Delaney said.

During the same five months in 2021, the service center gave out just over 25,000 bags of food to 997 households representing 2,617 individuals, she said.

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Food pantry executives say the increased need is being driven by the loss of pandemic government aid to families and individuals at a time of rising costs.

People living and working on the Cape have taken a steady series of hits to the pocketbook, said Menard, whose pantry serves about 500 families a week from Provincetown to Fall River.

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“The first hit was the aid to the pandemic ending. Then we hit inflation. First it was the food, then it was the gas. Then you have to add housing — it is through the roof. No one can get housing,” she said. "The cost of living has got much higher."

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Mecenas said immigrant workers are doing careful financial calculations to balance their budgets, and too often nutritious food purchases are losing out to spending money on gas to get to their jobs.

"They have to pick and choose," he said.

Mecenas said he found one mother near tears because she didn't have milk for her children.

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"She has little kids, and she didn't have milk."

Mecenas said he made sure she got the dairy product delivered.

"I take all the food, and I bring it to their houses," Mecenas said.

The mother did not qualify for WIC, a supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, Mecenas said.

Regardless of whether they are U.S. citizens or recent immigrants, many working people living and working on Cape Cod struggle to put wholesome food on their own tables, pantry executives said.

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"There are people working around the clock, struggling to make ends meet, who don't qualify for aid," said Jeni Wheeler, co-founder of the Family Table Collaborative, which provides prepared meals for Cape Codders in need.

"A huge population of people are effectively working (but) drowning (financially)," Wheeler said.

Rising inflation said to be driving demand

She said demand for the Family Table Collaborative's prepared meals dipped when people received government pandemic checks but is increasing with rising inflation.

Mecenas said the 150 families served by the Health Ministry's fruit and vegetable delivery program reflects an increase of about 100% in recent months.

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"We’re seeing the big surge," Delaney said. "Some people who used to use us periodically are now coming in every week just to make the budget stretch.

At the same time demand is going up, deliveries from the Greater Boston Food Bank to member pantries has shrunk due to lack of warehouse workers and delivery drivers.

"It’s had a big effect on us," Menard said.

"We usually got 40,000 pounds of food a week" from the Greater Boston Food Pantry, she said.

The amount has gradually shrunk, dropping to 30,000, 25,000 and now 20,000 pounds a week, Menard said.

Greater Boston Food Pantry deliveries have lessened due to lack of staff

She said the Greater Boston Food Pantry has helped ameliorate the delivery situation by providing the Falmouth Service Center with Stop & Shop gift cards for clients and by arranging to have a produce grower in Rhode Island ship directly to the service center in Falmouth instead of going through Boston first.

“That’s helped out a lot," Menard said.

The Family Table Collaborative, which gives fruits and vegetables to the Health Ministry, has plenty of surplus produce from Whole Foods and the Chatham Bars Inn farm and Capabilities Farm, Wheeler said.

Delaney said an influx of donations has helped the Falmouth Service Center keep up with demand, despite a reduced shipment from the Greater Boston Food Pantry and rising local prices.

“We definitely have a really wonderful Cape Cod community in that way," Delaney said.

Food pantry executives said the bottom line is that despite delivery challenges, increased demand and rising prices, the cupboard is not bare and people should not hesitate to factor pantry services into their household budget.

"We can feed everybody who walks through the door," Menard said.

"Don’t think you’re taking it from someone else. We have plenty. We can get you through this," she said.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod food pantries increase services due to inflation