COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the cost of just about everything going up, more families are reaching out for help to put food on the table.
Tuesday, we spoke with Regina Foxx, a mother, while she was getting groceries at the LSS Food Pantry on Champion Avenue in Columbus.
"In one month, I can spend $500-$600 on groceries,” she said.
The food pantry helps her cut down that bill.
The pantry has helped provide items for people in the community for more than 30 years. Foxx said the pantry is needed now more than ever.
"(It's) because of the increasing prices of groceries in the grocery store. This kind of helps me stretch my budget,” she said.
Jennifer Fralic, director of the pantry, said over the last month they’ve seen a 48% increase of people coming to the pantry compared to April 2021.
"There's been scarcity for us being able to obtain certain things that we (usually) can get,” Fralic said.
Often, the pantry runs out of items like meats. On Tuesday, Fralic said the item they're running out of recently is eggs.
"It's disappointing to not be able to provide for people’s needs," she said.
Fralic said they restock items every day. When the pantry runs out of certain items, they adjust by limiting or providing something different.
Mike Hochron is the Senior Vice President of Communications for Mid-Ohio Food Collective. Hochron said inflation is impacting all 680 partner agencies they serve across Ohio. LSS food pantry is one of those. Hochron said the service will be there for people no matter how tough times get.
"You know it's really a perfect storm,” he said. “These are national problems that we're seeing all over.”
There are ways that you can help. You can donate food to LSS Food Pantries and the Mid-Ohio Food Collective.