Finding food assistance during the holidays
Thanksgiving is Thursday, but not everyone will have ease filling the table with food.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) annual Thanksgiving dinner survey, a classic feast is down 5% from last year, but still 19% higher than 5 years ago.
With the high costs of living many Central Floridians face, Greg Higgerson of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida said filling up the table is impacting more wallets compared to last year.
Second Harvest has seen a 30% increase in people using their Food Locator tool from this time last year.
“So that tells us a couple things, that there's a lot of people in need,” said Higgerson. “But also that there are a lot of first time folks who just really don't know what's near them. They don't know where to turn for help. And this is kind of a first step.”
Higgerson said many people using the site are facing food insecurities for the first time.
He adds the importance of careful planning this holiday season.
“Whether it's food cost (or) it's the gifts that you buy, if you're not able to spend as much in the grocery store. You have to really think about it ahead of time,” said Higgerson.
Talk turkey to me
The average cost of a 16 lb turkey is $25.67, down 6% from last year, according to the AFBF.
The report credits the lower price to a drop in demand for turkey, but Higgerson says some grocery stores price turkey lower as a marketing tool.
“One of the things that is pretty common is to price turkeys at a very low price in order to draw people in to buy everything else for the meal,” he said.
Higgerson said Second Harvest Food Bank bought about 15,000 turkeys costing around $100,000 to distribute to local food pantries around Central Florida.
But turkeys at food pantries and local giveaways tend to go fast.
Higgersen said turkey isn’t mandatory at the Thanksgiving dinner table. He’s seen some people get creative and shaped other food, like tuna, to look like turkey.
“We do what we can, we do what we have to do to survive, and a lot of families are out there making the most of it,” said Higgerson. “And at Thanksgiving, one of the things we always hear is that people are just happy to have something and get around that table with the people that mean the most to them, and that's really what this is about.”
Food Insecurity
One in eight Central Floridians are facing hunger and food insecurity, according to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, which means they have limited or uncertain access to nutritionally adequate foods.
Higgerson said it’s not just the cost of food causing the problem, but other interrelated factors, like cost of housing, electricity, and childcare.
“It's not that people aren't working hard, trying hard, and playing by the rules,” he said. “There's just a lot of circumstances and a lot of expense these days that we didn't used to have, quite honestly.”
Higgerson said low income families are at a higher risk for serious health problems because of food insecurity.
He stresses the importance of seeking help if you need it and not letting the stigma of having to utilize a food pantry stop you from getting assistance.
