Inflations impact on Harry Chapin Food Bank in Lee County

The Harry Chapin Food Bank held its usual distribution at Harns Marsh Middle School and they may be seeing more people in need.

The number of people turning to Harry Chapin Food Bank for assistance has grown quickly.

Kathleen Gregoire is a volunteer, she told WINK News, that more and more people are becoming overwhelmed with rising costs of food and other necessities.

“The need for the food, it seems to be higher now that the prices of gas are up,” Gregoire says. “People have to make choices, and we’re here to help them. But that choice, it gives them the food.”

There’s been little relief from the rise in gas and grocery prices. This means food pantries are still seeing high demand.

People like Lehigh Acres resident Victoria Becude receive about $100 dollars worth of food allowing them to use the money they’ve saved from not having to purchase food for other important bills.

“It helps a lot,” Becude says. “With gas prices and all, you have to spend money everywhere else, and you lose the money for food, so, this helps in compensating for that loss for everything being so high.”

All this does is increase uncertainty and confusion when looking to the future.

“The elderly it helps a lot. The inflation has gone up so much, but with social security, their funds are still the same,” Becude says. “So, how does a person that still gets the same amount of money every month and still be able to make it through the month when everything’s so high?”