Food prices strain nonprofits

More families are turning to help from food pantries and nonprofits to put food on the table, and those agencies say they’re feeling the strain.

By NANCY REARDON
The Patriot Ledger

High food prices are sending more families to food pantries and nonprofits to put food on the table, and those agencies say they’re feeling the strain.

“Our program is just booming with people,” said Irene Van Rompay, director of the federally funded WIC (Women, Infant and Children) program in Weymouth, an office which covers 20 South Shore towns.

WIC provides food checks worth $55 to $65 a month to women who are pregnant or recently had a baby and children up to age 5 in families with low to moderate incomes.

Amanda Hanifan, a mother of a 15-month-old, has been with the program for a year.

“It saves us a lot of money,” she said. “We save about $150 a month.”

Van Rompay said the program run from the Weymouth office is serving more than 4,700 people. It has an assigned caseload of 4,080.

“It’s the highest we’ve ever been,” she said. “Everybody has just been splitting at the seams.”

Demand also has increased significantly since the start of the year at the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse, said Jean Johnson, a volunteer coordinator. The warehouse serves 14 food pantries, as well as local councils on aging and HeadStart programs.

“Some pantries are telling us they’re seeing as many as 20 more families a week,” Johnson said.

The Weymouth Food Pantry, which served an average of 400 Weymouth families a month last year, served 539 in January, said Pat Adams, the director.

Adams said the pantry last hit a high of 500 families a month during the recession in 1991 - but that was when it served families outside of Weymouth.

“That’s a sad, sad sign,” she said.

Adams said she has increased her milk order. Both Johnson and Adams said they have a need for cereal and bread items, which tend to be more expensive than canned goods.

“You can give it to us, and I guarantee it will get out,” Adams said.

The Rev. Rachel Bickford at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Weymouth said she’s noticed the strain among her parishioners. She’s been weaving the issue into her weekly sermons to offer guidance and help people feel less alone.

“Families are working very hard and they’re feeling the crunch with the economy right now,” she said. “The type of sermon I preach is to folks struggling to put food on the table. I’m saying that we’re all in this together and we’re not failures if you can’t provide extras for your children ... There’s a lot of guilt in this.”

Helpful produce tips

• Produce is cheaper when it’s in season. For example, buy apples in fall and citrus in the summer.
• Buy locally grown food to avoid transportation costs.
• Try planning meals around beans instead of meat for a low-cost protein.
• Use frozen fruit and vegetables. They retain nutrients well and won’t spoil before they can be used.
• Look for 2-for-1 sales. If wheat bread is on sale, buy two and freeze one.