Long Island Cares says there will be a significant increase in food insecurity between 2021 and 2022.
According to the nonprofit, the number of people visiting its six satellite sites has increased by 60%, which equates to about 42,000 people.
Paul Pachter, president of Long Island Cares Food Bank, said inflation was the driving force behind the increase.
“As we all hear, the cost of a dozen eggs has hovered around $6 a dozen, and people’s wages haven’t risen enough to match the increase in costs, and that’s pushing everyone into the pantry. It’s what drives it,” Pachter says.
Pachter said state and federal governments have ended moratoriums on gas taxes, leading to the recent rise in gas prices.
He told News 12 that many people in need of food are also working.
“One in four people who go to a food bank are working, making $50,000 to $60,000 for a family of four,” says Pachter. “But in the Suffolk County households we know, it’s not enough to stay about things.”
Food banks say more food purchases by banks and donations from the public are now very important.