Summer is often a busy season for food banks, after school lunch programs end. Karen Belcher, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Central New York, said this year is especially busy, as a dollar doesn’t stretch as far as it used to.
"Right now with the economy, increased food prices, increased fuel, increased rent, families are finding they need to turn to our emergency food network, as much as they did during the pandemic," Belcher said.
Belcher said food products continue to be available for various programs across the community in the non-profit's cavernous warehouse north of Syracuse. But one other impact that’s hurting the Food Bank are those energy prices, up 50% since March.
"It’s hard, it means we have to look at other costs, and cut costs where we need to to make sure we deliver door to door, which we’ve been doing for 30-plus years," Belcher said.
The Food Bank estimates that one in eight individuals in central and northern New York are food insecure.
