Food Bank of South Jersey still in need of food donations
PENNSAUKEN, N.J. (CBS) -- South Jersey food banks just finished giving out thousands of turkeys to families who can't afford a Thanksgiving meal, but the food banks say they still need your help this holiday season.
Chris Welch admits he's a little late.
"Just wanted to donate a Thanksgiving meal to somebody," Welch said.
He says many places where he tried to donate already finished giving out Thanksgiving turkeys.
"I grew up in a family that had needs, so now that I can give back, I want to when I can," Welch said.
But the Food Bank of South Jersey still gave Welch the opportunity to give back as they're still collecting turkeys for families ahead of the holiday.
"Families deserve the right to have those family traditions around a good, healthy, nutritious meal," Food Bank of South Jersey CEO Fred Wasiak said.
He says right now they're serving more people monthly than they did during the height of the pandemic and Thanksgiving is no different.
The Food Bank of South Jersey says in 2021, they had 18,000 requests for turkeys. This year, they received 22,000 requests.
"Inflation goes up, food insecurity goes up. With the gas prices, they're starting to creep back up, inflation, just still the ripple effect from the pandemic," Wasiak said.
Something Welch noticed when he bought his donated turkey.
"Yeah, food prices are absolutely up this year, but still, I wanted to donate," Welch said.
Wasiak says they need even more donations.
While they were able to fill all 22,000 requests for turkeys, they now have to get ready for the winter.
"Our food donations are not keeping up with the demand, but the nice thing, the rewarding thing we're seeing is families who can give are really giving," Wasiak said.
"If you're in a position to help other families, I think it's a good thing to do this time of year," Welch said.
If you want to donate to families in need, you can find more information on the Food Bank of South Jersey website.
