Inflation continues to affect American families, meaning that many are struggling to put food on the table. According to Kristen Wild of Operation Food Search, many families are seeing grocery bills that are about 12% higher than usual. At the same time, donations to Operation Food Search have decreased by around 20%.
"There's simply less for some of our food donors to give," Wild told KMOX. "We rely pretty heavily on local grocery store partners, as well as other event venues and hotels and other independent food sources, as well as individual families who might run food drives for us, or companies, faith organizations, and we've seen a decrease that is certainly challenging."
In the St. Louis region, Wild said, about one in six kids is food insecure, while in the state of Missouri overall the number hovers around 15%.
"But in the areas where we serve, the rate is higher," she said. "Fortunately, kids do have access to breakfast and lunch at school. Where we like to help is by providing an after school meal program. We work with about 330 schools providing an operation backpack program that provides food resources over the weekend for kids and their families."
In addition to their programs for kids in school, Operation Food Search has resources on their website for full families who need food, or for programs over the summer when kids can't eat at school. Wild adds that their site also has tips and guides for creating healthy meals on a budget.
Hear from Operation Food Search's Kristen Wild on the need for food donations amid inflation and food insecurity:
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