Inflation scrambles Thanksgiving meal plans for many in Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO -- Turkey prices are soaring and some are starting to think twice about serving a traditional Thanksgiving meal. With inflation, consumers are being more careful with their budget while others are turning to food pantries for help.
East Bay resident Joe Pratt stocked up on some groceries and has seen the impacts of inflation first hand.
"I've been shopping forever and definitely things are not on sale as much as they used to be. Vegetables have gone way up and you can't find some stuff," Pratt said.
This holiday season, it's not just about inflation.
When it comes to serving your Thanksgiving turkey, bird flu is also partly to blame for rising prices. The average price for a whole frozen bird is $2.45 per pound, up 70 cents from last year.
"I was thinking about being not standard this year and not having a turkey because we're going to have a small crowd," Pratt said.
Some food pantries in the Bay Area are seeing a significant increase in demand.
"A lot of them lost their jobs in the pandemic or part of the hours they are working and they haven't been able to get caught up with that," said Brenda Camarena with the Multicultural Center of Marin.
Camarena says it serves about 300 families every week. Those families are reaching out for help to try to make ends meet.
"They go to our food distribution site to try to save a little bit of money on groceries so that money to go their rent or gas," Camarena said.
While there have been signs nationally that inflation is coming down, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices here in the Bay Area went up 6 percent in October compared to the same month last year.
As a consumer, Joe Pratt is holding onto hope for some relief soon.
"That's about all we can have is hope. I don't know if anything is really going to come down but it doesn't seem like it in the short term," he said.
KPIX correspondent Andrea Nakano filed this report