Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

Tiffany Skipps, her disabled husband and their six kids would have a very different life right now if not for food donations. “It would be really different. Just thinking about it, I would have to spend more money just to get the necessities,” Skipps said.

It’s difficult for Skipps to work because her husband needs 24-hour care. Because he always needs someone with him, the family’s money doesn’t stretch very far.

For the past several months, Skipps has been able to get food, and other necessities, at Tabitha’s Way Food Pantry in American Fork. “I can’t think of life without Tabitha’s. With me, not being able to get a job away from home, that’s where the big need is,” she said.

Getting food from a pantry is different from going shopping at a grocery store. There are not always a lot of choices to make about what to get, but Skipps is happy with what she is given to feed her family.

According to Mike Carter, one of the founders of Tabitha’s Way in American Fork, there are a host of families who are clients of the pantry. People who never thought they would need help to put food on the table are now finding themselves providing the necessities for their families through donations. The problem is, donations are decreasing.

Evan Cobb, Daily Herald file photo

“High inflation has created a lot of issues for food pantries right now. The number of people receiving food is really high. We are getting people coming in who are saying they have never been to a food pantry in their lives, but they have to come in now,” Carter said.

The pantry used to see about 15 to 20 new families in a week. In a single week this month, though, 44 new families came to the pantry.

“We had 18 new families one day, which is what we normally get in a week,” Carter said of the American Fork location. Tabitha’s Way in Spanish Fork is experiencing similar numbers.

Carter said that while food prices remain high, many people are keeping their grocery budgets the same. So, using the same amount of money that they previously used to purchase food, consumers are getting 10-15% less. This is one reason many more people are in need of help.

However, food pantries and food banks are receiving fewer and fewer food donations from grocery stores. “Less food from stores means we get less to hand out,” Carter said.

Isaac Hale, Daily Herald file photo

Another result of high inflation and tighter budgets is that people have less excess food to donate to pantries. A typical food drive that used to result in 10 to 12 large loads of food is now only producing about two to three of those loads, according to Carter.

According to http://FeedingAmerica.org, 53 million people turned to food banks or other community services for food during 2021 while financial donations are down nationwide. According to Carter, labor costs are higher for the pantry because they have had to increase the wages of employees. “Cost of fuel has been double. Many other things cost more. So it is a perfect storm — the demand is up considerably, costs are up, but the amount of food and financial donations are down,” he said.

While the need for hunger continues to increase, food banks and pantries will continue to try to keep up. The best way to help is to donate food and money so that they can continue to feed the hungry. For more information about volunteering or donating food or money, people can visit Tabitha’s Way Food Pantries at http://tabithasway.org or Community Action Services and Food Bank at http://communityactionprovo.org.

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