Gulf Coast food pantries face rising demand amid grocery price hikes

FORT MYERS, Fla. —

As grocery prices rise, food distributions across Southwest Florida are experiencing a surge in demand.

Janelle Olson from Community Cooperative said, "As you can see from today, the lines are long because the need is great." Olson emphasized the organization's proactive approach to addressing the growing need, stating, "We are always aware that the need is growing and how we are going to respond to that."

At Our Daily Bread Food Pantry in Collier, staff reported seeing 13-20 new households every week. They help at least 1,000 households at their distributions in just a few hours. They say they have 11,000 shelf-stable bags ready for their distribution Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, Drop and Shop Food Pantry in Cape Coral plans to continue its distribution on Saturday despite facing a shortage of food. Shelly Oman, founder of Drop and Shop Food Pantry, said, "Everybody really needed food this week, so we're a little bit short tomorrow, this Saturday, but we will have food."

St. Matthew’s House reported that 1,567 additional families needed help in the last month. It served 10,552 families in January and 12,119 in February, marking a 14.9% increase.

Susan Bennett, president of St. Vincent de Paul Society, highlighted the importance of awareness regarding the high demand, saying, "I just think people should be aware that there are so many people in our neighborhoods that they don't know about or they're not aware of, but they have a great need. And that need is increasing with every day."

Two food pantry events are scheduled for this weekend on the Gulf Coast, providing essential supplies to those in need:

- Drop and Shop Food Pantry from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 4770 Orange Grove Blvd.

- Our Daily Bread distribution every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon, or until supplies last, at 1818 San Marco Rd.

Monetary donations are encouraged as the best way to support local food distributions. Also, bring your ID when picking up food, as some places will ask for it before distributing.

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