Kodiak Cakes’ Post

Over the past year, we’ve experienced an astonishing 112% increase in demand at the Oakland Food Pantry. Yes, you read that correctly. Four years after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the question remains: what is driving this significant rise? Two years ago, we saw a surge in need following the reduction of SNAP benefits, but this past year, the impact has been compounded by other economic factors. The cost of living has skyrocketed, especially when it comes to groceries. In Pennsylvania, food prices have surged by an average of 8.2%. Consider the following: a gallon of milk now costs $4.56, a loaf of bread is priced at $3.21, eggs are nearing $4 a dozen, and chicken is approximately $5 per pound. Even for those who budget carefully, a week's worth of groceries for a family of four can easily surpass $100. The result? Supplemental services, like food pantries, have become a lifeline for more individuals than ever before. Food insecurity is no longer confined to the unemployed, elderly, or disabled—it’s affecting a much broader spectrum of people, many of whom were self-sufficient just two years ago. This growing need underscores the importance of community support during these challenging times, for this, I am so thankful for the work my team does every week at Community Human Services!

Do you want to get involved during Hunger Action Month? There are 5 simple ways to support the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. ✅Donate produce from your own garden: Those zucchinis are out there, multiplying overnight, and there’s only so much zucchini one family can eat! We accept donations of fresh produce and shelf stable items, such as canned soup and vegetables. ✅Volunteer: You can volunteer with your family or your colleagues, just once, or once a week. SHFP is always in need of helping hands. ✅Organize a food drive: Food drive collections are especially great. Not only do they supplement the food supply, but usually food drives produce favorite brands and special items otherwise rarely available. ✅Host a High Holiday food drive: As you know, SHFP is the only kosher food pantry in the region, and the holidays are coming. Help make sure all of your Jewish neighbors are able to honor the holidays with dignity. ✅Make a donation to Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. Every dollar donated ensures that a family receives three healthy meals. Donate here: https://lnkd.in/g4xQBgeK Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eEXWU9ZP

“My name is Denys. I'm food services manager at Main Street Project. I'm on the 4th year working here now. We are working on the partnerships with different donors and getting food to people who need it the most. It’s challenging to find right the fit for people who are unable to cook on their own. We do have some access to raw foods, but many of our participants don't have ability to cook that food. Another challenge is we have a very tiny kitchen that supports the operation of feeding on average 500 plus people a day. The biggest challenge, I would say, is to get folks the right nutrients of food. Food insecurity is huge and has become even more of a problem here in Winnipeg. There is an uptick in using the food banks. This tells me that food insecurity has grown a lot. We see much younger people coming over to the food bank. We see families with little kids that are coming to food bank as well. Right now, we are facing a higher inflation, food cost is way, way higher than what we experienced before and our food donations is way lower than we have ever seen it. I've done calculations for our shelter. When we feed people three times a day, came down to $0.71 per person per day for three times. Quite often, people will think oh, I have to give at least $10 or $20 to make a difference. No, it's not the case. Even $1.00 will help somebody have a meal today.” Your purchase of 50/50 tickets supports Main Street Project’s food programming, which provides over 1,000 meals each day to the community. Ticket sales close end of the day on January 31! Draw takes place February 1. Buy your tickets today: https://ow.ly/Txkm50QsINy #MSPBuildingStability #Winnipeg #Manitoba

During the month of October, businesses and organizations across North County San Diego come together to help Scare Away Hunger by collecting jars of peanut butter for local children and families in need. The Carlsbad Chamber is proud to be a drop-off location all month long! Stop by with your favorite (no glass please) peanut butter anytime Monday-Friday, between 10am-4pm. Why Peanut Butter? Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein for children and families. It’s popular with kids, shelf-stable, and one jar can provide more than 12 sandwiches. Peanut butter is very expensive for the Food Bank to purchase. That’s why this year’s peanut butter food drive will be instrumental in helping stock the Food Bank’s shelves with this nutrient-rich superfood for local families in need. Who Benefits from the Donations? Did you know? 1 in 4 children faces food insecurity in San Diego County, including those living in North County communities. All donations will be distributed to North County families in need through the Food Bank’s direct food distributions and our nonprofit partners’ hunger relief programs. Can't make it? Donate peanut butter virtually: https://buff.ly/3zDxeAa

PACK Savannah is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides weekend food packs to over 4,600 food-insecure children in Savannah and the surrounding areas. They also have two smaller programs that support foster children and children in crisis. These videos will do a much better job of introducing PACK and Malena, its founder. https://lnkd.in/eijqB6jQ https://lnkd.in/ePbKwYkh https://lnkd.in/e3CvBnHp When we first met, Malena said to me, "[Our mutual friend] says you want to help us feed children. How do we start?" That was Monday, 2/5, and we have been busy since. PACK's biggest challenge has been sharp increases in food costs. Because her food pack is unique compared to what many food pantries typically provide to families, only about 10% of PACK's total food can be sourced from the local food bank. She's recently experienced high triple-digit cost increases in several food categories, so I have been arranging alternative suppliers to help reduce costs in line with previous levels. Today, we placed our first order for six pallets of juice boxes. This would have cost PACK $9,000 recently, but we were able to place this order for $5,040 shipped. We also identified a supplier for individual snacks (e.g., cookies, nutritional bars) at more than 50% estimated savings and no more precious time wasted making trips to local Sam's. These savings will go a long way toward stabilizing the organization's financial health. Unfortunately, PACK is critically under-capitalized at the moment due to recent price hikes, and it would take 2-3 months before our current cost-cutting efforts and fundraising initiatives get us on solid footing again. Please consider donating to PACK to allow us to continue our operations without interruption. $200 feeds a child for 52 weekends, but any amount of support would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. https://lnkd.in/ek5QmmQb -> Click 'Donate Now'. #nonprofit #childhunger #foodsecurity

Everyone needs nutritious food to thrive, and in every community in America, people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families. Yet in 2022, 44 million people—1 in 7 people—faced food insecurity in the U.S. Those are the highest numbers in a decade, underscoring the need for more charitable food assistance in the bi-state region and beyond. This month the St. Louis Area Foodbank is grateful to participate in the Walmart Fight Hunger, Spark Change campaign with Feeding America. Now, for the 11th straight year, all U.S. Walmart stores and Sam’s Clubs are launching the Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, with the goal of providing people facing hunger with access to the food and resources they say they need to thrive. The campaign will run in stores and online from April 1-April 29, with three ways for shoppers to participate: -By donating at check-out in stores or clubs or round up at Walmart.com and the Walmart app. -By purchasing participating products in-store or online at Walmart.com or SamsClub.com. For every purchase of a participating product, the supplier will donate the monetary equivalent of at least one meal ($0.10) on behalf of a Feeding America partner food bank at Walmart and five meals ($0.50) at Sam’s Club, up to applicable limits. See specially marked packages for full details. -By donating at Feeding America’s Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign donation site at either https://lnkd.in/gzaDtKg2 or https://lnkd.in/gsptpHev

For many Indigenous families living on reserves, accessing fresh groceries means driving an average of 45 minutes to the nearest store, only to face limited options when they get there. This creates a barrier to accessing healthy, nutritious food. Fresh Routes is working to close this gap. With our Mobile Grocery Stores, we bring food right to the reserves, offering fresh, affordable food where it’s needed most. But to keep serving these communities and expand our reach, we urgently need a walk-in cooler. The cooler will allow us to store and transport more food safely and ensure that families on reserves don’t have to worry about the next time they can access fresh produce. With your help, we can keep this vital service going and break down barriers to food access. Please donate today to help us reach our $15,000 goal. Together, we can make a lasting impact!  https://bit.ly/4e7PNeP #SupportIndigenousCommunities #BreakDownBarriers #FoodAccessForAll #FundraisingForImpact #DonateNow #FreshRoutes

Food security remains a huge issue in New York City, especially as food costs have skyrocketed over the last several years. Unfortunately, many Brooklynites do not always know where their next meal will come from. At BCS, we’re working to feed Brooklyn with our New York Food for New York Families program. We also explore this issue further in our new blog post, which goes live later this week! Statistic Source: New York Community Service Society, 2023 #wearebcs #foodinsecurity #NYCfoodinsecurity #NYCnonprofit #Brooklynnonprofit #Brooklyn #statistics

✨ Exciting News! ✨ This year, I'm stepping up (literally!) and joining the annual Stop Foodborne Illness STOP3000 Challenge for the first time. Typically, I contribute through donations, but this year, I'm pushing past my comfort zone... 👉 What’s the challenge? Each day in September, we're walking 3,000 steps in memory of the 3,000 lives lost to foodborne illness in the U.S. each year. This also aligns with National Food Safety Education Month—a cause that means so much to many of us in the profession. 👟 Why? Because food safety matters. Small actions today can lead to big changes tomorrow. So, any contribution is appreciated and will make a difference. 🎯 Our goal? We aim to raise $1,000 for STOP Foodborne Illness. If we hit our goal, here's a fun twist: we'll keep walking 3,000 steps daily for the rest of the year! 💙 Together, we can make a difference. Your support matters, whether through a donation or by sharing this message. Let’s #STOPfoodborneillness and honor those who’ve been impacted. Join our journey and contribute if you can! I'll keep you posted on how we do!

How to Properly Celebrate National Donut Day: Buy a Box of Donuts. Promptly Throw it in the Trash, where it Belongs. Eat More Eggs and Real Food. Being Healthy and Happy is Simple… https://lnkd.in/etUDaNPC