Thanksgiving might cost a little more this year as inflation and supply chain issues continue to impact the price of goods.
Patrick Penfield, a professor of supply chain practice at Syracuse University, said that food prices are as high as 20% more than last year. He said prices are higher because of remaining COVID-19 restrictions, work shortages and above all, transportation issues.
“I think the concern I am more worried about is the transportation aspect of the supply chain,” Penfield said. “We have diesel shortages and then in the train industry so there is some uncertainty there.”
With the supply chain issues, charity organizations are finding it harder to get the resources they need to provide their communities with. Deanna Delmonico, public and donor relations manager of the Syracuse Salvation Army, said everyone is feeling the effects.
“I mean you can see in the stores the shelves are definitely not as stocked,” Delmonico said. “So everyone is feeling the effects of that and we are just trying to make sure that we can provide food to the families in the community that need it.”
Delmonico added that the rise in prices created an urgent need for donations and volunteers for the holidays.
“It’s become a real issue and an urgent need in the community,” Delmonico said.
Despite this, Penfield said that there is one positive to the supply chain issue — frozen turkey prices.
“There is a silver lining here,” Penfield said. “We are starting to see some prices drop with frozen turkeys. So I would expect to see some advertisements or some type of sales for frozen turkeys from some of the local grocery stores.”
For those seeking assistance for holiday costs, New York’s essential services line can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 or visiting http://211nys.org/.
To find your local Salvation Army visit https://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/.
