Rising Grocery Prices Feed A Surge At Food Banks

Steven James, 43, works in finance, has multiple cellphones clipped to his belt and projects the air of a hardworking, successful sort of guy. And yet there he was last week, buying day-old bread at the Oroweat thrift store in South Pasadena.

"Food's just so expensive," James said. "It's going up faster than salaries." He said he now seeks bargains like day-old bread wherever he can find them.

It seems as if the cost of everything is outpacing people's pay these days. Gas, the rent, utility bills -- and now food.

According to the Labor Department, the average cost of groceries is climbing at an annual rate of about 5%, the sharpest increase in 18 years. Average weekly earnings are rising at an annual rate of 3.3%.

This disparity has resulted in significantly higher customer traffic at bakery thrift outlets, employees say, as well as a surge in people turning to food banks.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[insanityfollows]

My parents retired a year ago, and gasoline costs and food costs are wreaking havoc with them, because they are now on fixed incomes. They planned and budgeted, and did everything right, but gas has gone from around $2 a gallon 18 months ago to $3.80 today, nearly DOUBLED. Overall grocery prices may be up nationally around 5%, but many things in the grocery store have gone up anywhere from a 50% increase to DOUBLED or TRIPLED!! So, they are retired, and any discrecionary income they have is literally being sucked up at the pump, washing clothes, etc... I am now supporting not only myself, but supplementing my parent's income, and that is money I am not putting towards my own retirement. What the hell is going on here? I remember the inflation in the 70's, and the energy crisis, and all of the recessions of the last 35 years, but this is shaping up to be major league great depression II stuff here.

[maggiemae656]

Your mortgage company, your landlord, your electric company, your insurance company...none of these people will allow you any slack. When you get squeezed, the only thing you can do is cut back on your personal expenses...many have already done that and are left with cutting back on food. It's a sad commentary on a society that has people who go to work 40 hours a week and cannot afford to buy the bare necessity of life.

[dadw5boys]

FUNNY HOW MANY HUGE GAS HOGS TRUCKS AND NEW VECHILES SHOW UP AT FOOD BANKS TO GET LOADED.

I have not had a new vechile in many years as I try and get our home paid for and plan for college.
I buy older vans and have the transmission rebuilt first thing and they last me 7 to 10 years and they are paid for. $ 3,800.00 total cost and over the last 9 years maybe $ 250.00 in repairs.

So I don't end up at a food banks taking food others truely need not because I have over spent..