The El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank opens its doors to hundreds of people in the community, but the non-profit is finding it harder to stock their shelves to meet the daily demand.
The food bank serves 1,500 families daily, according to the CEO Susan Goodell.
One spokesperson from the food bank told KFOX14 that the busiest day in 2022 was thanksgiving. On that day, the food bank served 1300 people, 200 less than they are now providing for, daily.
Goodell said the number of individuals served steadily increased since the beginning of 2023.
“Our food bank is effectively having to work harder every day to make sure this community is fed,” Goodell said.
She added that over the past 12 months, the food bank has provided food for over 156 thousand individuals in the El Paso community.
The increase in numbers is due to multiple different factors, according to Goodell.
“We continue to see very high costs of just basic human needs. Costs of food is high, the cost of housing, just the things that people need to survive and they are having difficulty putting food on their table. So they come to the food bank to make sure they have something nutritious to put on their tables to feed themselves and their children on a regular basis,” Goodell said.
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When it comes to keeping up with the demand, Goodell said the food bank is under a lot of pressure.
“The foodbank is constantly having a struggle to find enough food for the community and in addition to that with the cuts in government support, both in special programs such as SNAP and cuts to programs that prove food directly to food banks it is the perfect storm,” Goodell said.
She said the food bank is always looking for individuals in the community to help whether it is by volunteering time or through monetary donations.
To see how you can help, click here.
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