Food News

The rise in grocery prices means that people are less likely to donate food this holiday season putting food banks in a tough situation this Thanksgiving and Christmas. 

Feeding America says that there’s a high demand for food assistance across the country. Even with limited resources, the food banks have been serving people during the holiday season too. As per the survey conducted by the food waste reduction company, the holidays will put more pressure on the food banks. 

Compared to previous years, the survey revealed that only 25% of people are likely to donate this year. The number one reason for fewer donations this year is increasing food and grocery costs. 

According to a survey, nearly half of the respondents stated that they are more inclined to donate to food banks during the holiday season when there is a higher demand. However, the survey suggests that this trend may not continue in the coming months, even though food prices for holiday meals have decreased compared to last year’s record high.

As per USDA, the number of people living under food insecurity has been high since 2014. In 2022, nearly 44 Million people were living in food-insecure households. Due to the rising number of food-insecure people, Feeding America served 5.3 Billion meals in 2023. 

According to recent research, seven in 10 lower and middle-income parents are struggling to afford food ahead of Thanksgiving. This is the first holiday season in years without providing help to families in need after the federal government ended the pandemic era food assistance.