The shelves, pallets, and freezers at in Cheyenne, Wyo., have been looking pretty barren lately. Eva Estorga lists what she does have in stock.
鈥淭here's always breakfast, soups, fruits, vegetables, pastas,鈥� she said.
Provisions are donated from a vast network of grocery stores, individuals, and government programs. Estorga coordinates operations with around 70 volunteers. The warehouse is the size of a soccer field and serves about 150 families a day.
鈥淚t's a way of caring for the community in a way that sometimes nobody else does,鈥� Estorga said. 鈥淲e get to put some kind of food on their table.鈥�
But Estorga鈥檚 job has recently become more stressful as demand at St. Joseph鈥檚 has skyrocketed. Inflation has driven food prices up, and pandemic relief programs have come to an end. That鈥檚 made it more challenging for Wyoming residents to make ends meet.
Several pantries in the state have seen the number of customers double since the pandemic began, . Some folks who never needed food assistance before this summer are coming for the first time.
鈥淭he more people we have, of course, the more food we need, because we are giving so much out and we鈥檙e not getting as much in,鈥� Estorga said.
St. Joseph鈥檚 is a 100% drive-through operation. Cars often line up around the block. Many customers in line share similar stories.
鈥淚 started coming here because I fell on hard times,鈥� said Joanne, who preferred not to share her last name. 鈥淚t just helps me get from one paycheck to the next.鈥�
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 take much to run through $100 worth of food stamps,鈥� said Scott Leyo. 鈥淗aving a place like this has just been a life-saver.鈥�
鈥淓verything鈥檚 so costly, [I] can鈥檛 afford it. The price of meat鈥檚 ridiculous,鈥� said Raymond Mauch.
Most people get basic staples in their boxes: canned goods, protein and produce. But Estorga worries she鈥檒l have to cut back in the near future.
The food bank buys things to fill in the gaps when donations aren鈥檛 cutting it. In a normal month, they鈥檇 spend about $12,000. In August, they spent over $20,000, but that still isn鈥檛 enough. Two weeks ago, Estorga spent $1,000 just on jelly. It was gone in four days.
鈥淲e can only buy so much, so people will be seeing less in their boxes,鈥� Estorga said. 鈥淚 don't think the end of the tunnel is close. I think it's going to be tough for a while.鈥�
Estorga鈥檚 story is common around the Mountain West. Food banks in , , and also report being squeezed this Summer.
Rachel Bailey heads the , a major supplier for more than 150 partners statewide. She said shortages are ubiquitous across the country, and that it鈥檚 been especially challenging to serve such a large land area.
鈥淲hen we are traveling such long distances across the state, to rural communities, you know, those fuel prices and transportation costs really add up,鈥� Bailey said.
Inflation has a big impact on Bailey鈥檚 bottom line. A truckload of sweet corn, for instance, cost her just over $8,000 in 2021. Now it鈥檚 over $13,000. Potato prices have risen 71% in the past year.
But that鈥檚 not the only thing limiting supplies.
鈥淥ne of the biggest challenges that we have right now is a 52% decrease in the USDA emergency food assistance program,鈥� she said.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program () supplies pantries across the country. During the pandemic, it got a huge boost from federal COVID relief funds.
But this summer, that money has run out 鈥� at the worst time. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had been providing about 40% of the Food Bank of Wyoming鈥檚 supply. Now, it鈥檚 down to 23%.
鈥淚 think that the public needs to have awareness that this is happening 鈥� that there are decreased donations and that there's increased need,鈥� Bailey said. 鈥淏ecause what we really need from our communities right now is support.鈥�
Bailey wants Congress to spend more on food aid next year. The nonprofit also advocates for increased funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). They argue further investments to alleviate food insecurity could help the one in ten residents of the Mountain West facing hunger.
In a sent earlier this week, the USDA said it 鈥渁nticipates an increase in TEFAP entitlement food funding, due to significant inflationary changes.鈥� Congress will have to approve any budget increases early next year.
Back in line at St. Joseph鈥檚, construction worker Dominic Fonseca is in his turquoise pickup truck with his pomeranian in the passenger seat. He鈥檚 disabled and diabetic, and said healthcare costs have added up. So he comes here twice a month for a source of healthier meals.
鈥淲hat I do with what I can鈥檛 eat since I鈥檓 diabetic is I pass it to friends and neighbors and family if they want it,鈥� he said.
Fonseca hopes others in line 鈥� and especially those that don鈥檛 visit food pantries 鈥� pass on what they can.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, 萝莉少女 in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the .
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