In Tampa, Florida, a food bank is giving away what they’re calling “paper turkeys” — gift cards — instead of real turkeys. In Colorado Springs, Colorado, one food bank doesn’t have cranberry sauce or stuffing. In Alameda County, California, another is swapping out turkey for chicken.
This holiday season, food banks across the United States are struggling to fill their shelves due to supply chain issues, labor shortages, price inflation, and the effects of climate change on our food systems.
“What happens when food prices go up is food insecurity, for those who are experiencing it, just gets worse,” Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Feeding America, told the Associated Press. Feeding America is the largest food relief organization in the country and works with more than 200 food banks.
The strain on food banks and pantries started at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. As farms, production lines, and shipping systems shut down or operated with limited labor, food production and availability declined. This coincided with a jump in food insecurity as America’s workers were laid off. But now, more than a year a... Read more
