With the rising cost of food, the Peace Pantry is forced to spend more money for less this year.
Robert Hanners, director of operations at the pantry in Cedar Hill, said from January to September 2022, the pantry bought 1,322,249 pounds of canned goods, fresh produce and meat from the St. Louis Area Foodbank for $306.20.
From January to September 2023, Peace Pantry purchased 506,625 pounds of food for $7,290.15.
“I spend a lot more time, now, searching for food than in the past,” Hanners said. “I’m driving further to pick food up.”
Hanners said he must drive as far as Springfield for some food pickups. He also must search for other avenues for food, including making deals directly with farmers to provide fresh produce and dairy products.
“We’ve actually ordered a new truck, a larger truck because I felt like a year ago that this was going to happen,” he said. “You can carry heavier loads on (the truck) because we are going to have to start going further.”
Peace Pantry, 8100 S. Industrial Drive, offers food assistance from 6-7 p.m. Wednesdays and from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Thursdays.
In addition to the food pantry, the all-volunteer organization has a thrift store and outdoor recreation areas including a playground, walking trail and basketball court that are open to the public.
The nonprofit agency is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
Robert Duncan, who has volunteered with the pantry since 2020, said he’s noticed that the shelves at the food pantry are harder to keep fully stocked.
“There was a time when a shelf would be full and I’d have extra cases,” he said. “I might have an extra pallet of corn or mixed veggies or something, but it’s dried up. We’re seeing a decline in what we receive, but we see more and more people who are in need.”
Peace Pantry isn’t the only agency feeling the squeeze.
Carrie LaChance, transformation manager with Feed My People, which has locations in High Ridge and Lemay in south St. Louis County, said donations from individuals have fallen. She said she believes it’s due to rising costs at the grocery store.
“We seem to be getting enough food from food banks, but our donations are down, both food and personal care products,” she said. “We would typically get a huge pile of individual donations in the back, but now we’re having to buy that ourselves.”
Feed My People, 3295 Ottomeyer Road, in High Ridge, is open 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursdays, it is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on Saturdays, it is open from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In addition to the pantry, it runs a thrift store and offers job counseling services.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices increased by 9.9 percent in 2022, with beef and egg prices going up the most. From August 2022 to August 2023, prices went up 4.3 percent. Food prices are expected to increase another 2.2 percent in 2024.
“Everybody has had to tighten down,” Hanners said.
LaChance said Feed My People is trying to reach out to younger potential donors by increasing the organization’s social media presence, as she said the current average donor base age is at least 65 years old.
“We have a fleet of vehicles that go out every morning to stores and come back with full loads (of food),” LaChance said. “The food is pretty much gone at the end of the day. We don’t have much to stockpile.”
How to help
Duncan said time and donations are the best ways to help Peace Pantry.
“If people have a box of canned goods and they are in the area, it would be appreciated,” he said. “Or, if they have a day off with nothing to do, they can come by and help us out for a little bit.”
Peace Pantry accepts donations during normal business hours or by calling 636-285-0934.
LaChance said Feed My People accepts donations from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at both locations but can be flexible to receive donations at other times. For more information, call 636-677-9885.