Rising food prices raise goal for annual Thanksgiving event

Joseph Kohut, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·2 min read

Oct. 15—SCRANTON — Last year, Friends of the Poor needed to raise approximately $125,000 to pay the tab for its yearly Family to Family Food Basket Program.

That bill nearly doubled this year, the nonprofit said Friday as it announced its 46th annual Thanksgiving program. But it held faith the community will not falter.

"God will provide for us and we'll figure out a way," President and CEO Meghan Loftus said. "This is my sixth year doing this and it took me probably until year five to accept that statement."

The yearly event, which feeds thousands of people in need, will begin at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 with an interfaith prayer service hosted by the Scranton Area Ministerium at Temple Hesed, 1 Knox Road, Scranton.

The yearly Thanksgiving dinner for adults and the elderly will be distributed as takeout meals Nov. 22 outside the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple on North Washington Avenue from 2:30-5:30 p.m. They asked those attending not to line up earlier than 2 p.m.

The group will distribute 3,500 meals to those who drive by or walk up. The 400 and 500 blocks of North Washington Avenue and Vine Street will be closed for the event, the organization said. Meals will also be delivered to adults and elderly in low-income high rises in cooperation with the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging and the Junior League of Scranton.

The following day, at 9 a.m., the Robeson family will direct the Family to Family food program for the eighth year. They've ordered enough groceries to feed 3,500 families.

"We think that there's an increased need this year," Linda Robeson said. "We've been serving close to 3,500 throughout the (COVID-19) pandemic but then this year, with prices skyrocketing and everything else, we just feel the need is incredible."

This year's grocery bill is $200,000, an increase the group largely blamed on rising food prices.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported food prices have risen by about 10% for the year that ended in August.

"Two years ago, we were able to get our turkeys at 90 cents a pound," Robeson said. "And now they're $2.90 a pound and we get 14- to 16-pound turkeys for every family."

Volunteers — and especially donations — are needed.

Donations can be made to Family to Family, P.O. Box 13, Scranton, PA 18503, or online at friendsofthepoorscranton.com by picking Family to Family as the selected fund in the donation page's dropdown box.

They asked businesses or community groups who could help support the hot meal portion to contact them at friendsofthepoor@fotp.ihm.org or 570-340-6086.

Contact the writer:

jkohut@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100, x5187;

@jkohutTT on Twitter.