MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Marinette is expecting 2022 to be be record breaking with visits so far this year outpacing 2021.
Executive Director Ashley Berken says part of that is due to the recent closure of another Marinette food pantry.
“We are seeing over 4,600 visits. We’re on track for about 6,000,” Berken said. “Typically, we see about 300 visits a month from our food pantry visitors. Last month, we were seeing over 900 visits.”
So far, they’ve been able to keep up with demand.
“Right now, we’re getting by with our weekly distribution,” Berken said. “However, our financial strain might become larger than we can take on.”
Inflation is another reason why the pantry is seeing a greater demand.
According to the Consumer Price Index, the average cost of eating at home has risen roughly 13% in the last 12 months.
Basic things like white bread are up 12.9% and chicken up 17.6% over the last year.
It’s resulted in the pantry seeing a plateau in food donations.
“We’ve also seen a huge increase in the cost of purchasing food for our pantry because no matter how many food drives we have, there are still gaps that we need to fill,” Berken added, “and there’s less and less commodities available for us to purchase in large amounts.”
Volunteer Scott Kopish knows the feeling of being in need all too well.
“I’ve been in positions in my life where I’ve needed it.”
It’s why he’s been volunteering with the pantry for more than four years. He says challenges like these aren’t solved alone.
“The community really came out, especially during the pandemic and everything like that,” said Kopish. “We’re always looking for more donations so we can help more people. It’s just, we need everything that we can get.”
Even small donations can make a difference, especially over the next few months when the pantry is busiest.
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