Patch Holiday Food Drive In Stillwater: Give To Feeding America

STILLWATER, MN — A stubborn pandemic, rising food prices, and supply chain issues combine to increase the urgency of the 2021 Patch Holiday Food Drive, which is taking place through Dec. 31 in Stillwater and across our network of more than 1,000 sites.

When the COVID-19 pandemic upended the lives of Americans last year and threw them into a sea of uncertainty, Patch partnered with Feeding America because we knew some of the estimated 13.1 million working-age adults who asked for free meals or groceries for the first time included people here in Stillwater.

The situation has eased some as Americans go back to work, but food insecurity remains a big problem. Feeding America estimated that 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, would face food insecurity in 2021.

In Washington County, the hunger relief group estimated 5.6 percent of residents are coping with food insecurity this year, including 8.8 percent of children. Food insecurity remains higher in Washington County than before the pandemic, but it’s lower than the 6.9 percent of residents, including 11.5 percent of children, who were food insecure at the height of the pandemic in 2020.

Higher prices at the grocery store make it worse for people who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. Officials at the nation’s 200 food banks, which supply 60,000 local food pantries and meal programs around the country, are paying two to three times more than they were before the pandemic as supply chain bottlenecks, lower inventory and labor shortages drive up food costs.

• RELATED: U.S. Food Banks Struggle To Feed Hungry Amid Surging Prices

Some of the affected programs in Washington County include:

Our Community Kitchen
214 N. 3rd St., Stillwater
651-439-2609

St. Michael's Food Shelf
611 3rd St. S, Stillwater
651-439-3241

Valley Outreach
1911 Curve Crest Boulevard W, Stillwater
651-342-5550

Lakewood Worship and Service Center Food Shelf
2080 Woodlynn Ave., Maplewood
651-770-0282

Friends In Need
535 4th St., Cottage Grove
651-458-0730

Community Helping Hand
408 15th St. SW, Forest Lake
651-464-6831

Family Pathways
935 Lake St. S, Forest Lake
651-464-2098

Forest Hills United Methodist Church
1790 11th St. SE, Forest Lake
651-464-5249

Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf
15106 Francesca Ave. N, Hugo
651-429-1576

Mahtomedi Area Food Shelf
700 Mahtomedi Ave., Mahtomedi (St. Jude of the Lake Catholic Church)
651-395-5350

White Bear Area Food Shelf
1884 Whitaker St., White Bear Lake
651-407-5310

Bryan Nichols, the vice president of sales for Transnational Foods Inc., which delivers food to more than 100 food banks associated with Feeding America, told The Associated Press that supply chain issues may be easing, but the higher costs of food shipped from overseas will stick around for a while.

“An average container coming from Asia prior to COVID would cost about $4,000,” Nichols said. “Today, that same container is about $18,000.

Peanut butter is another staple that hungry families rely on because it has relatively high nutritional value and is available for a price they can afford — or, rather, it was.

Lynne Telford, the chief executive at the Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado in Colorado Springs, told the AP the cost of a truckload — or 40,000 pounds — of peanut butter has soared 80 percent from June 2019 to $51,000 in August. It costs 19 percent more to make mac and cheese than it did a year ago, and 5 percent more to cook a hamburger than it did three months ago.

Katie Fitzgerald, Feeding America’s CEO, told the AP she’s not sure how long food banks will be able to absorb the higher costs.

“What happens when food prices go up is food insecurity for those who are experiencing it just gets worse,” Fitzgerald said.

That means people who are used to getting a family-size can of tuna may have to settle for smaller cans or substitute some other staple to stretch their food dollars. It’s like adding “insult to injury” reeling from the uncertainty wrought by the pandemic, Fitzgerald said.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

How You Can Help

Now through Dec. 31, we’re encouraging readers to make a tax-deductible contribution to Feeding America in the Patch Holiday Food Drive. Every $1 given to the organization buys 10 meals.

Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2021, more than 32 million Americans, including 13 million children, will not have enough nutritious food to eat. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.