U.S. Food Bank of inflation is "unable to eat" American Food Bank

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 16th. The United States currently faces the worst inflation in 40 years, and the aid demand of food banks across the United States has increased. Due to the suspension of government temporary aid projects and poor supply chain, food banks are facing multiple dilemma.

Caught off guard

In front of the San Mary Food Bank of Finaikus, a number of teams have been lined up in front of the gate, and Tomasina John is among them. She told the Associated Press reporter that she had never received the relief of the Food Bank before, because her husband as a construction worker could afford her and 4 children, but now if there is no relief, "it is really impossible to survive." In order to save gasoline fees, John carpled to pick up food with neighbors.

On August 8, 2020, people received food on free food distribution points on the streets of New York. Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Yingwang

The spokesman of the food bank, Jeli Brown, said that more than 900 households were sent to the distribution center to queue up the government's urgent food packages each working day with canned beans, peanut butter and rice. In terms of food banking, it also provides additional food packages worth about 75 US dollars, with products purchased through fundraising and food, carrots and pork chops provided by local supermarkets.

The United States currently has the most severe inflation in 40 years. According to data released by the Ministry of Labor on the 13th of this month, the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 1.3%month -on -year in June this year, a year -on -year increase of 9.1%, and the year -on -year increase was the maximum value since November 1981. In the same period, US energy prices climbed 41.6%year -on -year, up the largest value since April 1980.

On July 13, customers purchased food in a supermarket in Washington, the capital of the United States. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Shen Ting)

Michael Fulde, chief executive of Food Bank in Los Angeles, said that the aid demand in 2022 would decline because of the good economic situation at the time, and the current inflation problem "appeared quite suddenly." "Many people who receive relief now have a job, and some of them even increase their salary, but now the rise in food prices has exceeded their budget.

This food bank distributed about 13.61 million kilograms of food in the first quarter of this year, slightly reduced from the previous quarter, but was much higher than the same period in 2020.

Worsening

Not only food banks in Los Angeles, but the largest food assistance organizations in the United States, "Feeding the United States", Arameida County Community Food Bank, and Houston Food Bank, and many other religious institutions have faced the problem of soaring aid demand.

The largest food bank in the United States, Houston Food Bank, distributed about 227,000 kilograms of food on the day before the outbreak, and increased by about 50,000 kilograms today. In addition, San Mary Food Bank distributed food packs to more than 4,200 families in the third week of June this year, and the number of assistance families surged 78%compared with the same period last year.

On August 24, 2011, low -income families are selecting free food on a charity kitchen under New York Food Bank, No. 252, New York Street, USA. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Fan Xia)

At the same time, the temporary support projects of the United States government have stopped the operation of many food banks to be under greater pressure. "Feeding the United States" has recently lost hundreds of millions of dollars of material assistance due to multiple temporary support projects. The Food Bank of Arameida County Community has previously been aid by a new crown food assistance plan for the Ministry of Agriculture of the United States. It can get about 2.3 billion kilograms of supplies a year. Now the project has stopped, and this food aid organization is therefore "huge impact".

The rise in food prices and poor supply chains are also difficult to operate in food banks. Taking the Food Bank of Arameida County Community as an example, the data shows that before the epidemic outbreak, the food bank purchased a monthly food expenditure of $ 250,000, and now this number has soared to 1.5 million US dollars; soaring gasoline prices have led to this food bank The fuel budget increased by 66%.

In addition, due to the supply chain problem, the Food Bank of Arameida County Community Food Bank has to advance the purchase time at this stage. The original inventory remains when the stock remains. Now the purchase time needs to be three weeks in advance. (Wang Yijun)

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