Small-Town Family Shares Concerning Scene Outside Of The Local Food Bank — ‘I Have Never Seen The Line This Long’
HASPhotos | Shutterstock Food banks have been making headlines as of late. During the recent government shutdown, many people had to turn to them for the essentials they needed to feed their families while they waited to receive their SNAP benefits again. And, of course, as the cost-of-living crisis worsens around the country, more and more people are struggling to make ends meet and need help getting food.
There is absolutely no shame in utilizing a food bank. But when those food banks struggle to keep up with demand at levels never before seen, there are definitely some questions that need to be asked. One would definitely be, “How did we get here?”
One family shared their concern after witnessing the scene at their local food bank.
In Reddit’s r/povertyfinance forum, one unfortunate post has 41,000 upvotes. It included a photo of a long line, which stretched around a parking lot. “I have always [gone] here when things were bad,” the user who made the post said. “This year our family could not afford anything nice for Christmas dinner, so we turned to a local church food bank.”
Reddit
Things were definitely different at the food bank this time, though. “I have never seen the line this long at this food bank,” they said. “This is four times the size of every previous year. We have only been to this one four times since 2017, but this year the line wraps around the building a second time to the left behind those rows of cars.”
Making the situation even more alarming was the weather. “Everyone is freezing, and an older lady in line had to be taken inside because she looked like she was about to pass out from being too cold and shivering,” they said. The Redditor stated that it was just 34 degrees.
Many families are struggling amid a weak economy and a stagnant job market.
“If this [isn’t] a sign that America isn’t doing well, I don’t know what is,” they added. “I am in a small town in Kentucky with a population of less than 4,800 people. Literally 10% or more of the county residents are here. This is insane.”
Insane is certainly one way to put it. ABC News reported that, during the government shutdown and pause in SNAP funding, some food banks experienced as much as a 1,800% increase in demand.
Cyndi Kirkhart, the executive director at Facing Hunger Food Bank, told the outlet how much demand had increased there. “Typically, we do mobile pantry distribution, which are cars [lining] up [and] we load their car up with food,” she said. “At the most, we’ll see 250 families. The past week, solidly, we have seen 900 families at each distribution, at each site.”
The end of the government shutdown didn’t seem to actually fix any problems, though.
Many people were hopeful that once the shutdown ended and SNAP benefits were distributed again, everything would go back to normal. It seems like the country has found a new normal, though. Data NBC News obtained from NIQ showed that the price of staples like bread, eggs, chicken breasts, orange juice, bacon, and fresh ground beef have all increased since November 2024.
Kevin Malik | Pexels
Meanwhile, the people who have the power to change this situation are largely ignoring it. According to a different NBC News report, President Trump has called affordability a “hoax,” “con job,” and “scam.” Not that long ago, the President was actually campaigning on the promise of lowering prices across the board, though.
For the people being hit the hardest by the cost-of-living crisis, like those waiting in line at the Kentucky food bank, this must be particularly painful. Prices show no sign of decreasing. Thankfully, communities have come together to donate when and if they can. If you're able to, share what you can. It's the least we can do for our neighbors.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
