Inflation leads to 'skyrocket' needs for St. Mary's Food Bank families
St. Mary’s Food Bank has seen inflation woes “skyrocket” the needs of Phoenix families.
Approximately 150,000 families were fed last month just as the nonprofit faces a shortage of volunteers, CEO and President Tom Kertis said in an interview. This is 26,000 more families than in July and 40,000 more families than in August 2021, according to St. Mary's spokesman Jerry Brown.
Since August 2019 at St. Mary's two main distribution centers, located in Phoenix and Surprise, there has been a 60% increase in families needing assistance, Brown said.
“The inflation is just hitting the families here on all sides,” affecting gas prices, food expenses, medical costs and rent, Kertis said. “We’ve seen the number of people coming to us for help really skyrocket.”
The rate of families St. Mary’s has provided with food during a record-breaking August is part of a spike that began in the spring, Kertis explained.
COVID-19 relief funding has begun to run out and demand is currently higher than it has been since early in the pandemic when the monthly average of food St. Mary's distributed was 10 million pounds.
September will likely see those needs grow as families are recovering from back-to-school spending, the food bank's leader said.
“The need continues to climb," Kertis said. “We’re actually surprised by how much the need has increased. We anticipated maybe a little impact from the inflation but not to this magnitude.”
Metro Phoenix inflation hit 12.3% over the previous year ending in June, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The people St. Mary’s serves are generally "the working poor," Kertis said.
"In today's world, (families) still have to buy gas, but now they're spending double what they used to spend on gas, so it's eating into the budget. And very few items in their budget are items that they can control and food is one of them," Kertis said.
Typically, the food bank provides an emergency food box including nonperishable food cans and pasta. Fresh produce and protein like chicken or beef is also distributed.
Financial gifts are the best donations, Kertis said, since St. Mary’s purchases food from canning facilities and produce growers.
Aside from monetary donations, Kertis cited a need to double its volunteer force to help pack food boxes. Kertis said the organization is struggling to get bodies in since a transition to remote working has shortened the promotion of volunteering opportunities from employers.
"Many times when people were going into the office, their office would then say, 'Hey, let's have a volunteer day and go to St. Mary's and pack food boxes as a team-building event,' and so people would sign up for it," he said. "We would love to see our volunteer numbers double. It would help us get on track and make sure all of our boxes are packed."
Before the pandemic struck, Brown said St. Mary's Phoenix and Surprise locations would average about 200 volunteers a day, a number that has dropped by 80%.
Whatever challenges the food bank may face, Kertis is adamant no one in need be turned away.
“St. Mary’s is here for the community during this difficult time,” Kertis said. “If you need help, it’s OK to ask for help and we’re to help you.”
Anyone interested in donating or volunteering can learn more at firstfoodbank.org/get-involved.
Reach breaking news reporter Jose R. Gonzalez at jose.gonzalez@gannett.com or on Twitter @jrgzztx.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Needs at St. Mary's Food Bank 'skyrocket' due to inflation
