Almost empty food pantry Austin Tx. Courtesy KXAN Austin
by James C. Sherlock
Showing the dual effects of inflation — more people need food assistance and the costs of providing that food have risen — a local food bank we have long supported ran out of food this weekend.
First time ever.
The director told us that this is happening everywhere. See empty shelves in Austin Texas above.
If you have not dealt with one, food banks in my experience tend to be exceptionally well run, most by churches, synagogues, mosques or other faith- based organizations.
They screen their clients and keep careful track of donations. Most provide food by appointment or specific days of the week or both. All that I am aware of have limits on how many times a month each client can access food to make it go as far as possible.
The best ones are hyper-efficient with donations of money. Most staff are volunteers.
I request those readers who can afford it to please try to help. If you have a food bank you already support, help them.
If you do not already give, you can go here and put in your zip code to find local food banks. I tried other sites and web search terms and none of them provided nearly so complete a list.
Donate food, money, your time or perhaps more than one of those.
You will feel good about it and God knows people need the help.
