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As prices remain high, food banks seeing increased need

November and December are their busiest months of the year
Posted at 6:21 AM, Nov 14, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-14 08:21:10-05

Gas prices are up, rent is higher and the cost of food is becoming less affordable for many families.

Feeding America says 90% of their food banks have reported an increase in clients over the past month. More people are also googling the words "food" and "prices" online.

At Harvest Compassion Center, they have seen new families every day for the past seven months.

It's a place Nancy Chavez began visiting four months ago, her first time ever stepping foot in a food bank. She says when her other children were growing up, she didn't have to look for resources. But with her newborn daughter, things have changed.

"I always had work, prices were a little more flexible and yeah, I had two kids back then and never thought about it," Chavez said. "I didn't look for resources back then and we made less money and now we have to look for help."

Executive Director of Harvest Compassion Center Nicolee Thompson says they are seeing a 12% increase in new clients every day they are open. It's a reminder of when her family first opened the food bank 13 years ago, in the middle of the recession.

"We saw the need was so great. We are seeing the same thing happen unfortunately now a decade later. So we are preparing for a slight recession. We're preparing for that need to keep increasing right now," Thompson said.

November and December are their busiest months of the year. She says they are preparing to help double the number of people compared to last year.