Jeremy Reha transports milk to a cooler at the Food Bank of Iowa, July 11, 2022.Photo: Food Bank of Iowa
(Des Moines, IA) -- The Food Bank of Iowa says rising food, fuel, and housing costs are pushing demand to record levels. Food Bank of Iowa partners served the highest number of individuals in the organization's 40-year history in May. Pantries stocked by Food Bank of Iowa served nearly 121,714 individuals in May. That number is about 2,000 higher than the previous record, set during the height of the pandemic in 2020.
Food Bank CEO Michelle Book says the numbers support what the food bank has seen since April. Rising food, fuel, and housing costs, and the elimination of SNAP emergency allotments and other government support are driving up demand. Book says in some cases Food Bank of Iowa partners are reporting serving double, triple, even quadruple the numbers of pantry clients from just a few months ago.
“We have entered a new frontier in terms of need,” Book said. “Food Bank of Iowa remains committed to providing food for children, families, seniors and veterans in these uncertain economic times.”
The Food Bank of Iowa reports delivering 1.6 million pounds of food to its partners in May and the same amount in June.