Volunteers package food at the Royal City Food Bank last summer. With Christmas coming and the economy struggling, food banks are seeing increases in the number of people in need, volunteers say.
November 30, 2022
Stories this photo appears in:
‘Pretty drastic’
Food banks gear up for increased need
COLUMBIA BASIN — With the year winding down and the holidays looming, more and more people are counting on local food banks to make ends meet, especially in a struggling economy. “We had a 19% increase from Thanksgiving week last year,” said Peny Archer, executive director of Community Services of Moses Lake, which operates the Moses Lake Food Bank. “Our numbers are definitely climbing. It’s pretty drastic. I mean, any for-profit (organization) that had that 19% increase would be really excited.” Unfortunately, that kind of growth isn’t a good thing when you’re helping the needy. In the United States, more than 10% of households are food-insecure, according to a USDA study completed last year. The numbers are higher in rural areas: 11% of households have low or no food security, and 87% of the counties with the highest food insecurity rates are rural – in places like Grant and Adams counties.