According to new data submitted by Foodlink’s network, local requests for food assistance are hitting all-time highs.
Each month, local food pantries and meal programs within Foodlink’s membership network record the number of people who visit and ask for help. They tabulate the number of adults, seniors and children served, and submit those statistics to Foodlink each month.
Data submitted to Foodlink for August and September represented the two highest months of client visits in our recorded history. During both months, there were more than 175,000 visits to local food pantries and meal programs throughout Foodlink’s 10-county service area. The previous high was recorded in January 2024 (172,027). The numbers do not represent unique people — rather the number of times a request for assistance occurred.
A range of factors are contributing to the elevated need, including thousands of local residents losing their SNAP benefits this summer, and the high cost of food and fuel driving prices up for all consumers nationwide.
Perinton Food Shelf held a ribbon-cutting Nov. 5 to celebrate a move into an expanded space, and commented on the rise in need locally. According to 13 WHAM:
Susan DeGregory, the Perinton Food Shelf’s volunteer director, said the demand has increased as families face a tougher economy and changes to assistance programs.
“And now we have you know high high gas prices, high food prices. People are trying to pay their rent, and we are able to help out, and it’s it’s a wonderful thing,” DeGregory said.
Roseann Bruner, Director of Operations, added: “I just think that it’s important that people understand that food insecurity happens at a moment’s notice sometimes, and it can happen to anybody. So, understanding taking care of your neighbors is key because when your neighbors are doing well, the whole community is doing well.”
Check out the chart above for a comparison of the first nine months of this year — which has seen a steady incline for nearly every month since February — compared to the last couple years.
