Nobody needs to inform the Utah Food Bank that the holidays are over.
The director of communications for the Utah Food Bank, Heidi Cannella, tells me and Deseret News photographer Scott Winterton as we tour the 88,000-square-foot warehouse located on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. “We run with our hair on fire during November and December.”
When fully loaded, the walk-in freezers and shelves we’re passing can store up to two million pounds of food. However, some of them aren’t quite filled just yet. The food bank, like the rest of us, is in a post-holiday slump. There’s been a slight decrease in energy. There’s silence in the aisles except for the occasional sound of a forklift backing up.
Heidi adds, “People have holly in their hearts during the holidays, and then they kind of forget about it.”
As an example, volunteer hours at the food bank, where businesses, religious groups, and other service-minded organizations come to box and sort food and conduct other activities, are so popular around the holiday season that many are booked up to a year in advance. Like golf dates at Pebble Beach, the slots in mid-to-late December are highly sought after.
However, Heidi remarks, “Oh man, it’s quiet here,” in January.
Furthermore, it is a fact that food insecurity is a persistent issue that never goes away, even though it would be dishonest to suggest there is anything akin to a food crisis at the Utah Food Bank at this time or any other time. The organization is acknowledged as one of the best-managed, most efficient feeding-the-hungry charities in the nation. Emphasizing the constant need for assistance is always in style.
Particularly during this time. Because, as stated by Ginette Bott, President and CEO of Utah Food Bank, the need has been increasing over the last four years.
Some Faced Problems During Covid-19
It all began in early 2020 when the pandemic struck.
According to Ginnette, “COVID was unlike anything I’ve seen in my thirty years of affiliation with the food bank; the demand had never been so high.”
It has increased in value since then.
“Inflation started to impact when the pandemic’s emergency phase ended, and people who fell behind just haven’t had a chance to catch back up,” claims Bott. “Compared to when we were doing COVID, our numbers are higher now.”
Most of the 263 pantries that the food bank operates throughout the state are reporting an increase in patronage. The larger pantries that serve metropolitan populations are seeing the most striking increases.
As an example, Bott mentions the 60% rise in the Springville pantry from the previous year. There have also been significant spikes in the Bountiful and St. George pantry, among others.
According to Bott, “the majority of the families we serve are working two or three jobs in order to make ends meet.”
School food requests are also on the rise.
According to Bott, “teachers are our best gauge; they know when a kid is struggling.” “Almost all of the schools are requesting assistance,”
Main Highlights as 2023 ends and 2024 begins
- This year, more donations will be needed than ever for a food bank that typically distributes just over 60 million pounds of food annually, serving around 320,000 individuals, or one in ten Utahns. As an example, Bott mentions the 60% rise in the Springville pantry from the previous year. There have also been significant spikes in the Bountiful and St. George pantry, among others.
- According to Bott, “the majority of the families we serve are working two or three jobs in order to make ends meet.” School food requests are also on the rise. According to Bott, “teachers are our best gauge; they know when a kid is struggling.” “Almost all of the schools are requesting assistance,”
In summary, as 2023 ends and 2024 begins: This year, more donations will be needed than ever for a food bank that typically distributes just over 60 million pounds of food annually, serving around 320,000 individuals, or one in ten Utahns.