Food Bank of the Rockies responds to rising service demand, inflation

Demand for services is increasing as inflation puts pressure on the purchasing power and budget of the Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR). It’s a dichotomy that the organization’s volunteers, staff, officers, and partners plan to tackle head-on.

Inflation is the highest in almost half a century. According to the FBR 2022 annual report, the cost of basic necessities such as housing, transportation and food is skyrocketing, prompting more communities and his members to seek food aid as a way to expand their families’ budgets. forced to ask.

At the same time, some food bank staples have nearly doubled in price compared to last year. For the first time in years, the $1 he spent by the organization was providing him with three meals of food instead of four as in recent years, the report said.

“Inflation is now at its highest level in 40 years, and food inflation is also affecting the Food Bank of the Rockies budget, with some staples soaring by 70% compared to last year,” said the FBR. said Erin Pulling, president and CEO of the More than three times what it used to be Thanks to the generous support of our community members, we were able to meet the growing need, their inspired efforts to answer the hunger challenge of our entire community. Thank you for your support.”

In 2022, FBR served over 361,000 adult clients and over 98,000 children. More than 178,000 meals were distributed on an average day, with a total weight of over 80 million pounds of food distributed.

Higher gas prices have pushed up transportation costs, up as much as 60% in some months. Meanwhile, food donations from retailers, manufacturers and agricultural partners are declining due to changes in global supply chains. Food donated through government programs is also currently on the decline, with families spending an average of about $460 more per month on food, housing and other necessities.

Founded in 1978, FBR provides over 800 hunger relief programs throughout northern Colorado and Wyoming. 96 cents on every dollar received by the organization will go towards hunger relief.

Martha King, 71, is among 18,000 people who apply for the FBR. She retired, King began volunteering around the time the pandemic began in March 2020.

“When I retired, I knew one of the things I wanted to do was volunteer and give back,” said King. “I am very lucky.”

King volunteered for the FBR in limited capacity while she was still working. She lives fairly close to a warehouse in Denver and initially after retirement she thought she would volunteer one or two days a week.

“I love it. I’ve been going five days a week for two years,” King said with a laugh.

King drives a forklift, jacks the pallets, and fills the pallets with ordered food. It’s a tough job to keep her healthy, she said, and most of all she values ​​the relationships she’s built with her FBR staff and other volunteers.

“That became my pandemic community,” King said. “Volunteer, I’m looking forward to it. Towards the end of the week, I’m like, ‘Damn, I got this weekend.’ What should I do? ‘ ‘