Soaring food, gas prices impacting cost of operation for New Jersey food pantry
RAHWAY, N.J. -- As inflation soars, things like food prices and rent are impacting more than just individuals.
CBS2's Meg Baker visited a food pantry in New Jersey dealing with the side effects of both.
Rahway Food for Friends says the need for help tripled since the start of the pandemic, and so has the cost to run the food pantry.
Allen Gregory has volunteered there for 20 years after he was helped by the nonprofit.
"You just can't afford it no more. The paychecks that everyone's bringing home and the rent increases and taxes, people just can't do it," he said.
Candace Ashe is the CEO. She says more than 900 people are served weekly, and another 200 families get hot meals on the weekends.
"We've noticed the cost of food climbing, and we've noticed cost of gas climbing, of course, but rents have gone up extremely high and they'll continue to rise in New Jersey because there is no rent control, so we have a lot of clients coming in because they are getting displaced," she said.
New clients arrive daily in need of basics.
John Craggan, a 78-year-old veteran on a fixed income, says he relies on the donations from the pantry.
"Basic things like eggs and, you know, produce, very important. Those are the things that are necessary and that's what the high prices are," he said.
Pam Serrant is thankful, too.
"It helps me a great deal. What I don't use or if I have from the last month's pick-up, I provide with my neighbor because she is also a senior citizen," she said.
Rahway Food for Friends also has a mobile delivery service so high gas prices have hit them hard.
The food pantry requests monetary donations, which allows them to buy more through their partners, like the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. For more information, visit rahwayfoodforfriendsnj.org.
