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FOOD BANKS STRUGGLE TO FEED HUNGRY...
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — U.S. food banks already dealing with increased demand from families sidelined by the pandemic now face a new challenge — surging food prices and supply chain issues walloping the nation.
The higher costs and limited availability mean some families may get smaller servings or substitutions for staples such as peanut butter, which some food banks are buying for nearly double what it cost two years ago. As holidays approach, some food banks worry they won’t have enough stuffing and cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“What happens when food prices go up is food insecurity for those who are experiencing it just gets worse,” said Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Feeding America, a nonprofit organization that coordinates the efforts of more than 200 food banks across the country.
Food banks that expanded to meet unprecedented demand brought on by the pandemic won’t be able to absorb forever food costs that are two to three times what they used to be, she said.
Supply chain disruptions, lower inventory and labor shortages have all contributed to increased costs for charities on which tens of millions of people in the U.S. rely on for nutrition. Donated food is more expensive to move because transportation costs are up, and bottlenecks at factories and ports make it difficult to get goods of all kinds.
If a food bank has to swap out for smaller sizes of canned tuna or make substitutions in order to stretch their dollars, Fitzgerald said, it’s like adding “insult to injury” to a family reeling from uncertainty.
In the prohibitively expensive San Francisco Bay Area, the Alameda County Community Food Bank in Oakland is spending an extra $60,000 a month on food. Combined with increased demand, it is now shelling out $1 million a month to distribute 4.5 million pounds (2 million kilograms) of food, said Michael Altfest, the Oakland food bank’s director of community engagement.
Pre-pandemic, it was spending a quarter of the money for 2.5 million pounds (1.2 million kilograms) of food.
The cost of canned green beans and peaches is up nearly 9% for them, Altfest said; canned tuna and frozen tilapia up more than 6%; and a case of 5-pound frozen chickens for holiday tables is up 13%. The price for dry oatmeal has climbed 17%.
On Wednesdays, hundreds of people line up outside a church in east Oakland for its weekly food giveaway. Shiloh Mercy House feeds about 300 families on those days, far less than the 1,100 families it was nourishing at the height of the pandemic, said Jason Bautista, the charity’s event manager. But he’s still seeing new people every week.
“And a lot of people are just saying they can’t afford food,” he said. “I mean they have the money to buy certain things, but it’s just not stretching.”
Families can also use a community market Shiloh opened in May. Refrigerators contain cartons of milk and eggs while sacks of hamburger buns and crusty baguettes sit on shelves.
Oakland resident Sonia Lujan-Perez, 45, picked up chicken, celery, onions bread and and potatoes — enough to supplement a Thanksgiving meal for herself, 3-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son. The state of California pays her to care for daughter Melanie, who has special needs, but it’s not enough with monthly rent at $2,200 and the cost of milk, citrus, spinach and chicken so high.
“That is wonderful for me because I will save a lot of money,” she said, adding that the holiday season is rough with Christmas toys for the children.
Many people also rely on other government aid, including the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Kate Waters, a spokeswoman for the USDA, which administers the SNAP program, said there were no immediate plans for an emergency boost in SNAP benefits to compensate for the rising food costs. But she said that previous moves by the Biden administration such as the permanent increase in SNAP benefits earlier this year and a fresh wave of funding for food banks should help ease the burden. In addition, Waters said the fact that schools are open and offering free lunches and, in some cases, free breakfast, should also help.
Bryan Nichols, vice president of sales for Transnational Foods Inc., which delivers to more than 100 food banks associated with Feeding America, said canned foods from Asia— such as fruit cocktail, pears and mandarin oranges— have been stuck overseas because of a lack of shipping container space.
Issues in supply seem to be improving and prices stabilizing, but he expects costs to stay high after so many people got out of the shipping business during the pandemic. “An average container coming from Asia prior to COVID would cost about $4,000. Today, that same container is about $18,000,” he said.
At the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado in Colorado Springs, CEO Lynne Telford says the cost for a truckload of peanut butter —40,000 pounds (18,100 kilograms)_has soared 80% from June 2019 to $51,000 in August. Mac and cheese is up 19% from a year ago and the wholesale cost of ground beef has increased 5% in three months. They’re spending more money to buy food to make up for waning donations and there’s less to choose from.
The upcoming holidays worry her. For one thing, the donation cost to buy a frozen turkey has increased from $10 to $15 per bird.
“The other thing is that we’re not getting enough holiday food, like stuffing and cranberry sauce. So we’re having to supplement with other kinds of food, which you know, makes us sad,” said Telford, whose food bank fed more than 200,000 people last year, distributing 25 million pounds (11.3 million kilograms) of food.
Alameda County Community Food Bank says it is set for Thanksgiving, with cases of canned cranberry and boxes of mashed potatoes among items stacked in its expanded warehouse. Food resourcing director Wilken Louie ordered eight truckloads of frozen 5-pound chickens —which translates into more than 60,000 birds— to give away free, as well as half-turkeys available at cost.
For that, Martha Hasal is grateful.
“It’s going to be an expensive Thanksgiving, turkey is not going to cost like the way it was,” said Hasal as she loaded up on on cauliflower and onions on behalf of the Bay Area American Indian Council. “And they’re not giving out turkey. So thank God they’re giving out the chicken.”
——
AP reporters Terence Chea in Oakland and Ashraf Khalil in Washington contributed to this story.
15 popular gifts to buy now before they sell out
15 popular gifts to buy now before they sell out
— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.
This holiday season, experts are predicting product shortages and shipping delays galore in the weeks ahead due to high demand. That means that waiting until the last minute—or even the last few weeks—could leave you desperately searching for one of the few products still available or paying out the nose for rush shipping.
Tackle your holiday shopping early with deals and expert advice delivered straight to your phone. Sign up for text message alerts from the deal-hunting team at Reviewed.
The smart solution is to start your holiday shopping ASAP, especially if you have your eye on one of the year's most popular gifts. Below are 15 of the top gifts that everyone will be buying this year that could sell out quickly once peak shopping season hits. We recommend snagging these items—which includes everything from the coveted AirPods Pro to the celebrity-loved Ugg slippers—now while you still can.
►Hate returns? Kohl's feels your pain and is doing something about this ahead of the holiday season
►Holiday shopping: 38% expect to spend more this year. Here's how to avoid going into debt.
1. Apple AirPods Pro
Walk into any gym or just stroll down the street and you're bound to see a lot of people sporting tiny white buds in their ears. Help your music-obsessed giftee jump on the Apple bandwagon with a pair of the wildly popular AirPods Pro, which our experts ranked as the top wireless earbuds. When we tested them, the upgraded version of the iconic white buds performed the best in all categories, including sound quality, battery life and range.
Get the Apple AirPods Pro from Walmart for $189.99
2. Keurig Coffee Maker
A coffee maker is one of those gifts you could get pretty much anyone on your list—which is why they tend to fly off the shelves. If you're buying one now, we recommend the Keurig K-Cafe, which our experts dubbed the most versatile single-serve coffee maker out there. It brewed the most flavorful cup of joe in just minutes and even has an attached milk frother for when your giftee wants to get a little fancy.
Get the Keurig K-Cafe from Amazon for $199.99
3. Amazon Echo Dot
If last year was the year of the Echo, this year is the year of the Echo Dot. It has all of the features of the Amazon Echo, but at a fraction of the price, making it the best entry-level smart speaker, according to our experts. The newest 4th Gen. Dot, while still a tiny four inches in diameter, even has a majorly improved speaker for better sound quality and is a great gift for anyone who wants their first smart speaker or who already has an Echo and wants a complementary device for another room.
Get the Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) from Amazon for $49.99
4. Gravity Weighted Blanket
Regular blankets are great, but weighted blankets are even better—or at least they make for an even better gift in 2021. Of all the ones on the market (and there are a lot thanks to the growing trend), we found the Gravity Blanket to be the best. It has a super soft velvet exterior that's made for curling up in and provides just the right amount of pressure that's not too light, but not too heavy.
Get the Gravity Weighted Blanket from Gravity for $195
5. Kindle Paperwhite
If you own—or have ever used—the Kindle Paperwhite (11th gen), you understand the hype. It's our experts' top Kindle because it features a larger display, lighting temperature controls and fast USB-C charging. It's likely to be one of the most popular gifts this year, so don't hesitate to buy one now for the reader on your list.
Get the Kindle Paperwhite (11th gen) from Amazon for $139.99
6. Ugg Slippers
Slippers are always a great gift—but this year, it seems they're at the top of everyone's lists as we're spending more time at home. For women, popular styles include the super plush Fluff Yeah slide (which celebrities from Selena Gomez to Madonna are obsessed with) and the Cozette slipper (which sold out at Nordstrom during its annual sale last month). For men, the Ascot slipper continues to be a top seller, with over 13,000 rave reviews on Amazon.
- Get the Ugg Fluff Yeah Slide from Amazon for $59.95
- Get the Ugg Cozette Slipper from Amazon for $79.95
- Get the Ugg Men's Ascot Slipper from Amazon for $91.11
7. Instant Pot
Some things (or rather, some appliances) never go out of style when it comes to gifts. Like the Instant Pot, which is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser this holiday season yet again. There are plenty of models to choose from but our favorite is the Instant Pot Ultra, which has 10 different cook settings (from pressure cooking to steaming to slow cooking) and can have a meal that usually takes an hour on the table in just 20 minutes. It's perfect for anyone who finds themselves cooking at home more often these days.
Get the Instant Pot Ultra 10-in-1 from Amazon for $134.99
8. Roku Ultra
Anyone who owns a TV could benefit from a Roku Ultra, which delivered the best experience of all the streaming devices we tested. It has an easy-to-use remote and is compatible with nearly every TV, making it a great gift for any person on your list. Psst: If you want one, buy it sooner rather than later—the Roku sold out at many retailers on Black Friday last year.
Get the Roku Ultra from Amazon for $69
9. Fitbit Charge
According to a Gallup poll, one in five people wear a fitness tracker and this year, we could all use some extra motivation to get out of our seats and go for a walk. The Fitbit Charge 5 will help your giftee to do just that. It's performs so well that we crowned it our new favorite fitness tracker, dethroning its predecessor, the Charge 4. It'd make a great gift for anyone who is obsessed with getting fit and healthy in 2022.
Get the Fitbit Charge 5 from Amazon for $178.95
10. Always Pan
Every year, there's always (no pun intended) one cooking product that everyone can't stop talking about. This year, it's the Always Pan from Our Place, which claims to replace eight pieces of cookware and can do everything from sautéing, frying, boiling pasta, and so much more. After testing it, our cooking expert loved how versatile it was as well as how absolutely gorgeous it looked with its terracotta finish and Instagrammable vibe.
Get the Always Pan from Our Place for $99
11. Nintendo Switch
If you've been on the hunt for a Nintendo Switch this year, you're all too aware that it's been hard to find. The popular gaming console—which was a top-selling gift last year, as well—has skyrocketed once again in past months. Stock continues to be limited, so you'll want to scoop one up while you can, or opt for the handheld Nintendo Switch Lite.
Get the Nintendo Switch from Amazon for $299.99
12. Barefoot Dreams Throw Blanket
More time at home means more time to spend cozying up on the couch with a super soft throw blanket. Of all the ones you can buy, the Barefoot Dreams CozyChic Throw Blanket is by far the most popular (and the trendiest!) with celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, the Kardashians, and Selena Gomez raving about it. The blanket will be hard to find in select colors (like the popular animal print), so if you want to get it for someone, act sooner than later.
Get the Barefoot Dreams CozyChic In The Wild Throw Blanket at Nordstrom for $180
13. iRobot Roomba j7+
Home might be where the heart is, but it's also where the clean floors are (or should be). People love robot vacuums because they do your cleaning for you and make life a lot easier—which we could all use this year especially. Our experts put some of the most popular ones to the test and found the Roomba j7+ to be the best thanks to its ability to deftly maneuver around furniture and avoid dog feces with ease. Not to mention, it's highly programmable which means you can set it and forget it to maintain a constantly clean home.
Get the iRobot Roomba j7+ Robot Vacuum from Amazon for $699
14. Loungewear
Loungewear has become a hot commodity now that more people are working from home. Some of the most sought-after pieces include the super soft sets from Lou & Grey, the cult-favorite Nordstrom Moonlight pajamas, and the ever-popular Parachute bathrobe for both men and women (which some of our Reviewed writers own and love!).
- Get the SignatureSoft Upstate Sweatshirt from Lou & Grey for $69.50
- Get the Moonlight Pajamas from Nordstrom for $65
- Get the Classic Bathrobe from Parachute for $99
15. Laugh & Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen
One of the most popular toys this year according to our experts? This adorable playset, which is recommended for kids 12 to 36 months and has both a garden side and a kitchen side, so kiddos can cook what they "grow." Our parenting editor, Anna Lane, believes this will be a hot item amongst younger kids this year and will probably sell out.
Get the Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Grow-the-Fun Garden to Kitchen from Amazon for $69.98
Don’t get thwarted by shipping delays or sold-out favorites this holiday season. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and get the product reviews, deals and holiday gift guides you need to start shopping now.
The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
The Verge’s favorite holiday gifts under $25
It should go without saying, but the best gifts aren’t always the most expensive. There are plenty of affordable pieces of tech and non-tech items that would make for great gifts or stocking stuffers, which is why we polled The Verge staff to curate a budget-based wishlist that spans our favorite tools, gadgets, and other goodies that can typically be had for around $25 or less.
The responses we got ranged from practical to personal, from helpful to hilarious. Whether you’re in the market for a vest to keep your beverage from getting chilly or chopsticks from a galaxy far, far away, our budget-friendly gift guide is a manifestation of everything that you want, but nothing you need. Even if you’re shopping for yourself instead of someone special, we know that our suggestions will help make your life a little easier or, at the very least, coax out a smile. After all, pens that say what we’re all thinking tend to have that effect on people.
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