SOUTHERN COLORADO — It is no secret that inflation is having an impact on prices of food at the grocery store, causing several local families to look for a helping hand. And in these hard economic times, local food drives are working around the clock to help families in our community. I made calls to some different local food pantries. They all tell me the same thing. There have been fewer and fewer donations. So, some are getting creative in finding ways to keep up.
Mountain View Electric Association asks their members each year to round up on their energy bill to the nearest dollar, so they can donate the rest of that money to help those in our community.
Operation Round Up does a lot of work to help families in our community, and part of that work is donating funds to food drives. Through these donations, Tri-Lakes Cares and the Eastern Plains Community Pantry are just two of the local food pantries that are able to stock up on fruits, veggies, meats, dairy and grains. The program has given over 100,000 dollars to food banks annually. But today’s economy is making it harder for the program to get members to round up this year.
“I think in the wake of covid-19 and inflation being talked about and people being potentially insecure about their own economic stability, I think people are choosing to round up their bill less,” said Erica Meyer Mountain View Electric Association
While fewer people have been able to donate to food pantries, there is still a need to fill the shelves of food pantries. Last year, Care and Share Food Bank partnered with 291 local food pantries and served 20.4 million pounds of food to over 203,000 people across Southern Colorado.
For a list of food pantries in El Paso County, visit here.
For a list of food pantries in Pueblo, visit here.
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