Shawnee
Shawnee, CO · LATEST NEWS
USA TODAY
They had jobs, homes and cars. Now they're in line at the food bank
For years, Dave Poniatowski had no trouble managing his household budget. Then came a devastating triple whammy: two years without steady full-time work , soaring living costs and mounting debt. Suddenly the 54-year-old father of three from Bailey, Colorado, found himself on the brink of a financial crisis. When a neighbor suggested he visit a food pantry run by his local church, Poniatowski resisted. "I didn't really consider myself to be somebody who would need a food bank," said Poniatowski, who even launched a high-country wildfire mitigation business to keep creditors at bay. What began as a reluctant first visit has become a weekly routine as his family recovers financially. Poniatowski is not alone. While overall inflation has cooled, years of compounding price hikes are taking a heavy toll on paychecks and unemployment checks, driving many that never expected to need help to food pantries . According to the Capital Area Food Bank’s annual Hunger Report, 1 in 4 middle-income families experienced food insecurity over the past year. Feeding America’s latest Map the Meal Gap report underscores the strain. Food-insecure Americans now report needing an extra $23.16 per person every week just to cover basic nutrition. The latest Feeding America