Thanksgiving holiday, but there is a rush to the food banks for the holiday
More Americans say they turned to local food banks this Thanksgiving to get essentials for the holiday feast. Usually these institutions sell products at subsidized prices to poor families who are evidently increasingly numerous.
“This is the first time in my life I've had to get a box of staples from a food bank,” Brenda Stuart of Washington told The Epoch Times .
“I am not destitute; I have a job, but I can't afford to make Thanksgiving dinner at grocery store prices." Ms Stuart is one of several people interviewed who said they were forced to seek food assistance ahead of the holidays due to rising costs at the supermarket.
“I can buy a live turkey for almost the same price as it costs to buy a frozen one in the store,” “I was going to get some cranberry sauce, then I saw how much it cost and I felt like throwing up.” Cranberry is the basis for the typical sauce of this American holiday.
According to the Wells Fargo annual Thanksgiving consumer report, prices of canned cranberries are up 7% from a year ago. The report also indicates that the cost of turkeys actually fell 16% compared to fall 2022, while ham – up 5.2% from a year ago – hit an all-time high.
New data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index (CPI) also shows that home-delivered food prices rose 0.3% in October after rising 0.1% in September, while food prices overall have increased by nearly 17% over the past two years. years. In general, inflation has slowed down significantly in recent months, including food inflation, but, evidently, this has not been followed by an equal increase in nominal wages
“He was humiliated”
Some Americans visiting food banks for the first time said they felt ashamed and never thought they would find themselves in a food crisis in the world's most powerful country.
“Yes, I lease an Audi and rent an apartment in Georgetown. OK, I'm a little in over my head, but I didn't think it would ever come to this,” Isaac Montgomery, of Washington, told The Epoch Times.
“It's humiliating to have to ask for welfare because of the way the country is right now.”
“Even through the pandemic, he stayed [expletive] together; it seems like once [President Joe] Biden took over, things started going downhill,” he said.
“I can't keep up with the bills.”
A recent study published by Bankrate shows that wages will not be able to outpace inflation until the end of 2024.
“If the labor market remains relatively strong and economic growth proceeds, many workers should be able to maintain employment and pocket wage gains that remain above the rate of inflation,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst of Bankrate.
A rush for special offers
Several major retailers have stepped in to make the traditional turkey dinner more affordable for consumers.
Target is offering a Thanksgiving dinner that will feed four people for $25, which includes a 10-pound turkey and an assortment of sides.
“We know our guests are looking for incredible value and convenience as they prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with their loved ones,” said Rick Gomez, food and beverage manager at Target.
Walmart also offers low-priced Thanksgiving meal options that include turkeys for less than $1 a pound and various side dishes.
So this will be a very sad Thanksgiving holiday for many families.
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The article Thanksgiving, but there is a rush to food banks for the holiday comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/festa-del-ringraziamento-ma-ce-la-corsa-alle-banche-alimentari-per-la-festa/ on Thu, 23 Nov 2023 19:24:37 +0000.