These storms also have had Interfaith Food Ministry preparing for a needs spike, with the possibility of power outages and roads blocked from flooding or downed trees. Development Director Shelby McNamara says although there’s always been limited staffing, they somehow manage to keep up…

click to listen to Shelby McNamara

Meanwhile, McNamara says IFM had over 60-thousand client visits last year. They served over 97-hundred people, filling over 171-thousand grocery bags. That’s an overall 50-percent increase from 2021. And she says price spikes were among the worst of their 35-year existence…

click to listen to Shelby McNamara

McNamara also points out that only about seven-percent of their regular clients are homeless. She says around 75-percent are considered to be the working poor who are struggling more and more with escalating rental and utility rates that cut further into what’s left to spend on food.