Food bank demand surges as grocery prices climb in Virginia

CHESTERFIELDCOUNTY,Va.—TheChesterfieldFoodBankOutreachCenteronIronBridgeRoadcontinuesservinghundredsoffamiliesweeklyasgrocerycostsandrecenteconomicchallengesdriveincreaseddemandforfoodassistance. Nearly800clientsattendedanemergencyfooddistributionaheadofJanuary’swinterstorm,withregularweeklydistributionsstillservingaround600people. “We’restillseeingstrongnumbers,butIwillsaythatcomparedtothegovernmentshutdown,thosenumbersaredownjustalittlebit,”saidNicholasJenkins,thefoodbank’scommunityoutreachandcommunicationsdirector. PantryManagerJoanneJonessaidhighergrocerycostsandmountingbillshavekeptherbusyfillingbagsoffoodforpeopleinneed. “Ithoughtafterthegovernmentshutdownthatthingswouldkindofeasebackdownandgoatamoreevenpace,butitseemslikeit’sevenincreasedmore,”Jonessaid. TheU.S.BureauofLaborStatisticsshowedthepriceoffoodathomepurchasedatthegrocerystoreclimbed29.4%betweenMarch2020andDecember