Inflation and the rising cost of living remains a major problem for Americans. This may be especially true in New Mexico, where the numbers of people living below or near the poverty line are far greater that the United States as a whole. It is certainly impacting the Storehouse and the record numbers of people who are turning to the food pantry for help. In November 2024, for example, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found inflation was at the highest it has been in seven months. The BLS uses the Consumer Price Index to calculate average rates of inflation. This index is a list or what they refer to as a “basket” of goods that represents the average purchases made by Americans in a variety of cities. Families saw price increases for transportation, housing, and groceries. As these costs of living rose, the Storehouse set a new record in November 2024, supporting over 4000 households in one month.
The Cost of Living Has Risen for the Last 4 Years
From 2019 to 2023, the all-food Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 25.0 percent. That’s a higher increase than the all-items CPI, which grew 19.2 percent over the same period. Transportation costs saw a 27.1 percent increase with the rising cost of cars and fuel. Close behind, food prices rose faster than housing, medical care, and all other major categories tracked by USDA through the Consumer Price Index.
Each year of the last four has had supply chain and other issues effecting food prices. In 2022, food prices increased faster than any year since 1979. That was largely due to an avian influenza outbreak that affected egg and poultry prices. The conflict in Ukraine brought pressure on the world economy on energy costs, too. While food prices slowed somewhat in 2023, inflation on so many household expenses in 2024 have continued. Though these costs are not increasing quite as much as they were a couple of years ago, they still continue to rise with little sign of slowing down. The Federal Reserve, the United States’ central bank that helps guide the U.S. economy, sets a goal of 2% inflation per year. That’s a goal we were significantly above in November 2024, with inflation up 2.7% since November 2023.
How Do These Costs Impact the Food Pantry?
Simply put, the cost of living increases continues to hurt many Americans. The working poor have traditionally counted on the Storehouse during months where they had additional expenses like medical bills or car repairs. Those are frequent stories at the food pantry. However, the steadily increasing costs over the last few years appear to be pushing more families to food pantries and other hunger relief organizations. Those were were already were struggling even before 2020 say that pay Enduring increases across a wide range of household costs like transportation and utilities greatly impact family budgets. That puts extra pressure on families who were already food insecure. increases have not kept pace with other rising costs.
People are feeling that impact in their grocery carts. Some products have seen prices increase more than others. In fact, egg prices are up a staggering 37.5% from last year. This continues to be driven by avian flu and consumer demand. Poultry costs rose due to the same factors. The price of beef is also up. Fuel costs are, too. To sum up, most of November’s inflation was in the food and fuel sectors. These goods in particular are where we all notice inflation very quickly. Working class Americans in particular are the ones who feel this pain the most.
Therefore, it is not surprising that so many more families are turning to the Storehouse for groceries. In fact, the Storehouse has been busier than it ever has. We fed 3,109 households in November 2023, only to beat that record a year later. In November 2024, we served a 4,071 households (or 8,067 people). Our average household count on a pantry distribution day was in the 190s in 2023. In the fall of 2024, it was consistently 300 households or more every time the pantry opened to hand out groceries.
The Storehouse Has Continued to Meet These Needs Thanks to Your Support!
In order to address this rising need, the Storehouse has taken on additional routes to pick up donated food. We currently pickup surplus food from dozens of grocery stores every week. The food pantry relies on these steady donations to provide a variety of canned and shelf stable foods as well as meats and fresh fruits and vegetables for the families who count on the Storehouse. In fact, the Storehouse directly buys only about six percent of the food we give away. While the extra food is wonderful to have to provide families with carts full of groceries, it has meant more fuel for our trucks and more hours for drivers. It also has meant additional shifts for volunteers who help sort and pack food.
The Storehouse unquestionably needs help to continue to feed this many of our neighbors experiencing hunger. As always, there are three key ways to support the food pantry. First, donate financially. Your gifts help us fuel our trucks and buy items that we run short on at the pantry. Those include items people just don’t often think to give, such as baby food and formula. Second, collect and donate food. You can do that by hosting a food drive with your business, club or school. Use your own containers, or we can deliver Storehouse bins. Arrange food drive bins by sending an email to info@StorehouseNM.org. Third, volunteer to sort donated food, pack boxes, or help push and fill carts on the days the Storehouse is open. You can come independently or with a group up to 15 people. Again, email the team at info@StorehouseNM.org to get started. Visit our volunteer page to learn more.
With rising costs of living, the Storehouse expects to continue the trend of supporting more people for the foreseeable future. That means the support of donors and volunteers is more important than ever.