HARTFORD, Conn. — COVID-19 related challenges brought more people into food pantries for help and it's something many are still seeing today.
"We see a lot of people come in, people who usually don't come in for food are coming in now for food," Felix Mensah, food coordinator at St. Isaac Jogues Food Bank.
With supply and demand issues driving up prices at the grocery store there is an even greater need for assistance.
"It's the working-class family, it's your neighbor that's coming in through the door, it's your neighbor who has to decide am I going to pay my mortgage, am I going to pay my car insurance or am I going to put meals for my kids on the table," said Maj. Migdalia Lavenbein, area services coordinator for Greater Hartford at The Salvation Army.
Higher prices and a shortage of some items have made it hard for food pantries to keep up. The Salvation Army said a lack of donations has led to those difficulties.
"It's been really challenging to keep food supply up. We've struggled to get food in," said Lavenbein.
Other places have also faced something similar, seeing a difference in what's coming in.
"It's not a variety anymore that I'm seeing when I do my ordering," said Celia Wheeler, director of basic needs and transportation at the Hockanum Valley Community Council.
For Thanksgiving, pantries do have some of the essentials. Stuffing, sweet potatoes, but there are still some things on the list that they're having a little bit more trouble finding.
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"We were short on canned green beans, I don't know if there's a shortage out there but we were short on that," Wheeler said.
"We've got some shortage of canned food, especially canned food like corn, beans, stuff like that," Mensah said.
The St. Isaac Jogues Food Bank in East Hartford and the Hockanum Valley Community Council both handed out food on Wednesday despite the challenges, thanks to support for the community with no donation too big or too small.
"We had a little boy come in, 5 or 6, and he gave us two cans of cranberry sauce," Wheeler said. "It makes me feel great it makes me feel blessed, our community always comes through," she said.
The Salvation Army is also ready to begin their Thanksgiving food distributions for pre-registered families starting Thursday, Nov. 18 in New London.
Gaby Molina is a reporter and anchor at FOX61 News. She can be reached at gmolina@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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