Food Banks Desperate For More Supplies As Need Rises

With school out and gas and grocery prices high, summer is a tough time for hungry Central Texas families. At the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in South Austin, the supplies are going fast.

“It’s just unbelievable the amount of people that come in,†says Bob Craddock, co-director of the pantry.



“Families are being crunched,†says Kerri Qunell of the Capital Area Food Bank.

She says the high cost of food and outrageous gas prices are putting a strain on the Capital Area Food Bank and the 350 partner agencies it serves.

“A lot of the families that our pantries and soup kitchen are seeing are first time families,†says Qunell, “They’ve never had to rely on emergency food assistance before.â€

Joy and her family have needed help before but never like this.

“It’s really hard. Everything’s going so high so we have to get help where we can to feed our children,†says Joy. As she sifts through the bag of food handed to her, Joy says she’s grateful but unfortunately the food won’t last long. “Not even a week.â€

The funds just aren’t there for to provide the families with more. Even if they were, the Capital Area Food Bank can’t keep up with the demand.

“For example peanut butter,†says Craddock of the St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry, “I’ve never been unable to order peanut butter from the food bank and the last month or so we weren’t able to get it.â€

Without the food bank, says Craddock, the pantry wouldn’t be able to stay open five days a week and help people like Joy. Now, more than ever, the food bank is in need of the community’s help.

“Even a little bit helps,†says Joy, “Whatever they can do, it helps a whole lot.â€

During the month of June, the pantry saw 2700 people compared to 1800 people last June.