COLUMBUS, Ohio — Shelves inside food pantries are more empty than they were a year ago. Directors say it's because of inflation and the demand for additional needs and help.
“I have seven empty shelves right now. Last year, I would have had zero empty shelves,” said Christopher Schwagger, the pantry manager for Neighborhood Services Inc.
Schwagger said while the need has increased, supplies have not.
“Our meat donations have not changed since 2018. We are doing three times the business we were doing in 2018,” he said.
He loves helping neighbors but admits it's tough sometimes to make sure there's enough for everyone who needs help.
“You have to think about the human element and not just be like, 'Where am I going to source this food?'” Schwagger said.
NSI and Feed the Kids Columbus both get food from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective.
Recently, the food bank sent out a letter to the organizations, saying this year it won't be able to supply smaller pantries at the same level they have in the past.
The Mid-Ohio Food Collective said in that letter:
"The change and variety of food is due to a couple of different reasons: Government food sources and donated food has declined in recent months. Also, global supply chain issues impact MOFC the same way as other organizations. To adapt to this, we are purchasing more food while also continuing to advocate for additional resources so we can continue to connect families to food."
A spokesperson for MOFC told 10TV that the organization continues to provide produce at no cost to their partners and is also absorbing their operating costs so that monetary donations go further.
“Every item of food we purchase has increased by at least 30-40%. A donation doesn't go as far as it once did,” said Ashley Kanney, founder of Feed the Kids Columbus.
Feed the Kids Columbus is a non-profit that provides snacks to 5500 kids in the area. Kanney said the decrease in donations is forcing them to get creative to continue helping kids in need.
“It's going to bring more fundraising into the picture toward the latter half of the year,” she explained.