URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — Inflation is hitting everyone hard in 2022, but food banks are feeling those rising prices in more ways than one.
Consumer prices jumped more than seven percent from December 2020 to December 2021. For some people, that increase was merely an inconvenience. But for others, it wrecked their budget and set them on a path to food insecurity.
“The two areas that have been really hard hit are fuel and then food,” said Molly Delaney, vice president of development at Eastern Illinois Foodbank. “That’s something that affects [our organization] obviously because we put hundreds of thousands of miles on our trucks each year…It’s also true for those local households who are experiencing that.”
Delaney added food banks have already seen more people need their services during the pandemic. She worries rising inflation will only add to that total as people struggle to pay for bills and rising grocery costs.
Anyone interested in helping the Eastern Illinois Foodbank should send monetary donations at this time. To learn more on how you can help, click here.