Posted July 25, 2022 at 5:00 am EDT
While Paris Chef was among the jobs, he qualified for food stamps. Now he is working again. But he says it’s so hard to buy groceries.
“Look, I get paid and at the end of the day – I’m broke,” he said.
Recent research shows that Chefer is not alone.
Nearly half of Florida residents say inflation has affected their ability to pay bills. Another three-quarters say inflation has reduced their spending on groceries, according to a USF survey published in April.
In January, Chef started driving for We Help FRESH Pantry to cut down on his family’s grocery bill. Now, he says, it’s a necessity. The fresh pantry, run by the St. Pete Free, offers free products, meats and dairy products.
The food pantry has seen its most significant increase in demand since the start of the pandemic, said clinic CEO Jennifer Yeagley.
“Amidst the highest inflation numbers we’ve seen in 40 years, as well as other extenuating circumstances,” Yeagley said. “Our numbers have really gone up.”
Two years ago, demand tripled. In March 2020, the number of fresh pantry customers jumped from around 6,000 to 18,000 per month. Since then, Yeagley says they’ve experienced a steady increase in need.
In June, the fresh pantry served 28,000 people, up 31% from the previous two months. To keep up with demand, the pantry has expanded operations to include two drive-thru locations and an indoor pantry.
Other donation-based and volunteer food distributors are seeing a similar trend.
Tampa Bay Food, which serves ten counties in west-central Florida, has seen a steady increase in need. Between April and June, partner Feeding America distributed nearly half a million additional meals and food assistance requests.
Jimari Hallam regularly volunteers with the program to distribute food. But lately, she’s found herself on the other end of the line – in need of food relief.
“As time passes, I find myself in line with many others…to relief for me and my two children,” she wrote in an email.
As more people find themselves in need, some programs are struggling to keep up with demand.
On Friday, Metropolitan Ministries made a request for donations, reporting that their food supplies are critically low. In a press release, spokesperson James Dunbar wrote that he is confident the setback can be resolved with community donations and food purchases.
“Until then, we are preparing for the situation to get worse before it gets better,” he wrote.
Gabriella Paul covers the stories of people living paycheck to paycheck in the greater Tampa Bay area for the WUSF. She is also a member of the Report for America staff. See how you can share your story with her.
