In key swing states, the lines at food banks are growing longer

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: NBC News, via Yahoo!

In key swing states, the lines at food banks are growing longer

Shannon Pettypiece
Sat, October 26, 2024 at 2:18 PM EDT
7 min read

Across the rural communities and industrial towns of western Michigan, semitrucks hauling thousands of pounds of food are pulling up to church parking lots and community centers where growing lines of people are waiting for a few boxes of free groceries.

One truck can carry enough food for up to 600 households, but some days even that isn’t enough to meet the demand, which has gone up by 18% over the past 12 months, said Ken Estelle, president of Feeding America West Michigan.

“We have never seen this level of need in the 43 years we have been serving this community. It is significantly higher than during Covid and has pressed us beyond our capacity,” said Estelle. “We’ve just seen this drumbeat increase every month of more people and more people.”

From rural Michigan to midsize towns in Pennsylvania and affluent suburbs in Wisconsin, food banks are reporting record levels of need that have been steadily increasing over the past several years. Despite rising wages and low unemployment rates, many households continue to struggle with escalating costs that have depleted their savings and increased credit card debt, leaving little money left over at the end of the month to put food on the table, food bank directors said.

{snip}

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/key-swing-states-lines-food-181806486.html

[marble falls]

1. Figures. The Christian Nationalists forgot all about about feed the hungry, yadda, yadda, yadda.

[enid602]

2. Taxes

When incomes grow during a time when income inequality does as well, why would it be a surprise that demand goes up at the food banks?

Time to reverse Trump’s tax breaks for the wealthy.

[doc03]

3. It just happens this is in the swing states, and it is reported 10

days before the election. Not saying there are not people that need to go to the food banks
but I know many that are fairly well off that go to the food bank. The same people buy cloths at the
Goodwill store, some people are just cheap.

[RedArkGuy]

11. My response

" I know many that are fairly well off that go to the food bank."

Either they are doing a good job projecting an image of prosperity while actually suffering food need or they're people taking food from those who actually need it.

[doc03]

16. I have told those people I don't go to the food bank or Goodwill, that

it was taking from people that need it. Everyone that I know are Republicans, the response is to
blame the government for giving people welfare and food stamps. That is the Republican mind
they are selfish, they can't stand to see anyone getting something they can't. They have been
brainwashed into thinking aliens get SS, Medicare, food stamps and housing soon as
they cross the border.

[questionseverything]

24. In Illinois the clients income is verified so we don't have "cheap" people receiving assistance

I’m sure most states do the same

[DoBW]

33. I hear you .... sounds ripe for Sick F-ck spin

all together now

[Lulu KC]

35. Many?

I'm curious.

[FakeNoose]

4. I can remember back to 2020, the lines for food banks were much longer than they are now

People were afraid to get out of their cars (especially the non-masking folks) so the lines were filling up entire parking lots.

Come on! That was only 4 years ago. Has everyone forgotten already?

[TBF]

31. We were in the middle of a pandemic -

I don't think the answer to this story is to try to deny it.

The answer is for VP Harris to explain how her economy will be better for all. She will do better than a clueless millionaire who only gives tax breaks to his uber-wealthy friends.

[MichMan]

5. People needing food banks aren't likely to believe how great the economy is, no matter how many times they are told

“We have never seen this level of need in the 43 years we have been serving this community. It is significantly higher than during Covid and has pressed us beyond our capacity,” said Estelle. “We’ve just seen this drumbeat increase every month of more people and more people.”

[OldBaldy1701E]

7. I would say that is because it is not great. For them, anyway.

I am talking about those in actual need, not the 'poor' rich who take advantage of everything they can to not do their part.

[BootinUp]

9. The important point is that according to statistics it is improving for a significant

number of people. That does not mean it is improving for everyone. Your constant negative takes are such a joy to read.

[MichMan]

17. According to the spokesperson in the OP, they haven't seen it like this in 40 years and it's getting worse.

I'm sorry, I didn't provide a positive upbeat reply to the OP regarding hungry people waiting in lines for food. I couldn't think of one.

“We have never seen this level of need in the 43 years we have been serving this community. It is significantly higher than during Covid and has pressed us beyond our capacity,” said Estelle. “We’ve just seen this drumbeat increase every month of more people and more people.”

Statistics also state that we have had the highest inflation numbers for food in (2022-2023) occurring over that same 43 year timeframe. Correlation?

https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/inflation/food-inflation-in-the-united-states/

[BootinUp]

18. Anecdotal data and historical data are more important to you than actual current data? Ridiculous. nt

[MichMan]

19. Please provide the current data that shows food prices have gone back to where they were previously

I would love to see it.

Just because inflation this year has eased to typical historic levels, doesn't mean prices are dropping, they just aren't going up as fast as they were in 2022 & 2023.

Inflation is cumulative. The 2.2 % this year is on top of the 5.8% in 2023, which was itself on top of the 9.9% in 2022. Roughly around a 20% increase in food prices over the last 3 years.

[BootinUp]

20. For 20 years the most accurate economic reporting

And forecasting has been delivered by Paul Krugman. He also provides very useful political analysis. He recently explained why we shouldn’t want prices to go back down. Google up some recent articles from him. Some are already shared here and on other sites. I follow the economic news closely and I wish you would do the same instead of just sharing your bad takes.

[MichMan]

21. I must not be bright enough to understand that I have less left over from my SS check after going to the grocery store.

Then I used to a few years ago. Not to mention utilities, car insurance, auto repairs, home repairs etc.

I need to check my pockets for holes to see where all the extra money people claim I have is disappearing to because I don't have it.

Thanks for setting me straight.

[BootinUp]

22. You definitely don't make any effort here.

[Elessar Zappa]

23. Sorry for your experience

but the data shows that wage growth has gone up more than prices have.

[onenote]

25. Wage growth doesn't particularly help those on fixed incomes.

There is a reason that Kamala is making addressing grocery prices an issue -- if it wasn't, why would she be talking about it.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

6. Billionaires and conglomerations use greedflation to influence elections.

If you can keep people angry, you can short-circuit their reasoning ability.
See, e.g., the
Fascist
Oligarch
eXtremists' propaganda network.

[PortTack]

8. Oh sure...a coincidence that food bank lines are long "in the swing states" if they are long in the swing states

I guarantee you they are even longer in the southern red states.

Who doesn’t see thru this?

[BaronChocula]

10. Hoping their needs are met n/t

[Judi Lynn]

12. Had to find out more about your article's author. Here's another one of her journalistic triumphs:

NBC White House correspondent says gun safety and voting rights are 'far-left issues'
David Edwards
March 24, 2021 1:52PM ET

NBC White House correspondent Shannon Pettypiece this week asserted that gun safety reform and voting rights are "far-left issues." Pettypiece made the remark during a discussion on MSNBC about Democrats' efforts to move voting rights legislation forward.

According to the reporter, White House officials are "spending a fair amount of time on outreach to Joe Manchin."

"What's an issue that a moderate Democrat like Joe Manchin would like? Infrastructure," she observed. "So, you know, the White House is not moving hard into these far-left issues."

"Certainly, they say they support the Voting Rights Act," Pettypiece continued. "Certainly they say they would like to see gun reform legislation but are they heavily engaging to get those items next on Congress's agenda? Not necessarily at this point."

"It seems from what I'm told that President Biden's instincts might be closer to to Joe Manchin's than they are other members in the Democratic Party at this point," she added.

More:
https://www.rawstory.com/shannon-pettypiece-far-left-issues/

[LymphocyteLover]

15. thank you -- it seems as though this piece does have an air of rightwing propaganda to it

[Jit423]

34. Something seems strange to me about this sudden increase in lines at food banks.

Doesn't most of the food given away at food banks come from local farms and chain grocery stores? I would expect there to be long, long lines in those area affected by Helene and other states affected by the last two hurricanes. So an increase in people at various food banks in swing states would be expected. I know many families are in need of help but sometimes their needs get politicized and conveniently exaggerated.

[NowsTheTime]

13. Republicans oppose raising min wage, voted down expanded child tax credit, medicaid expansion...ad infiinitum

[LymphocyteLover]

14. and blame immigrants for all the problems

[The Madcap]

28. And their followers believe...

somehow that the Federal Government sets the prices they have to pay. The Federal Government can make policy that makes business easier or more difficult (i.e., regulations, interest rates, etc.), but they don't have the power to set prices directly. That is the decision of the individual companies/businesses. If a business is making extremely high profits directly from sales, that's a sure sign they're gouging a bit. Blame them, not the Government for that.

[texasfiddler]

26. Who needs Fox News 9 days before an election. GOP wants to be like Russia - 21% interest rates FYI.

[The Madcap]

30. Agreed

Just look at the conditions so many Russians live in, especially in the rural areas. That seems to be what the R's want us to do so that we have no choice but to slave away our lives for a few pennies an hour.

[Botany]

27. This is really good news too.

Things are getting done to help the nutritionally deficient people in an area.
President Biden was behind a “Food as medicine” project I don’t know if this is part
of it but it is nice to see. You need food? We got food. Doesn’t solve all the problems
but it is nice for now.

[CanonRay]

29. Mrs. Canon volunteers at the local foodbank in Oregon

and they are serving about double the number of clients as last year.