CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — The rise in food prices has everyone's pockets hurting at the supermarket, including Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center Assistant Executive Director Nick Jenkins.
“I have four kids and trying to go to the food store and purchase groceries is unbelievable at times. We're all facing that as a community and as a country,” he recalled.
He sees the financial frustration firsthand in his position at the center on Ironbridge Road.
“People should not have to choose between paying rent, paying their power bill, or buying groceries. But every day they're having to make that choice,” Jenkins explained.
NerdWallet reported food prices rose 4.9% between July 2022 and July 2023, according to the most recent consumer price index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By comparison, at the same time in 2022 prices rose 10.9% over a one-year period.
CBS News found common staples like eggs, meat, fish, and chicken are all substantially pricierthan they were two years ago, as well as cereal and bread, which cost nearly 25% more today than they did in 2021.
Friday is National Food Bank Day and Sept. 1 is the start of Hunger Action Month.
The Chesterfield Food Bank feeds 20,000 people every month. That’s a drop-off from the peak of the pandemic, but it’s still a sharp increase from what the volunteers and staff saw pre-pandemic.
Jenkins called on those in the community who have the financial means available to assist their neighbors.
“If you don't need help, please be the help. You can donate your time, money and food. And that allows us to continue taking care of our community and not just through our food services,” he stated.
The bank also serves as an outreach center where Jenkins’s staff helps individuals get back to work, get into rehab, and connected with mental health and physical health services.
