Food relief groups grapple with egg prices

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – Many food pantries are feeling the heat caused by a nationwide egg shortage.

While the price of eggs continues to grow seemingly by the week, Charlottesville area food pantries are looking for ways to work around it and continue providing food for those in need.

“That impact is going across the entire food industry. Everyone is feeling it,” Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Communication and PR Manager Les Sinclair said.

Sinclair says the nationwide egg crisis is now being felt here in Virginia.

“We don’t particularly have a whole lot of eggs in supply so it doesn’t really impact us,” Sinclair said. “But our food pantry partners however do often purchase eggs in the market and they’re having a tough time right now.”

One of those pantries having a tough time is the Emergency Food Network, or EFN, just down the street from the food bank.

Miette Michie is chair of the Emergency Food Network Board.

“We order eggs every week, more than once a week,” Michie said. “It’s gone up almost every time we’ve ordered eggs. So will we still be able to supply eggs to our clients? Possibly.”

Michie says EFN pays retail for eggs just like everyone else and is already starting to cut back due to cost.

“Sort of like grocery stores are, we are also now limiting the number of eggs we are giving out simply because the prices are so high and we wanna make sure people can get eggs,” Michie said.

Sinclair says the food bank is trying to help its partner pantries during this time of high demand and even higher prices.

It’s doing this through what’s called an LFPA.

“The LFPA is the local food purchase assistance cooperative agreement,” Sinclair said. “It’s through Feeding America. Right now they’re allowing us to, through a grant, receive eggs that we’re distributing through our mobile food pantries.”

Even with the shortage both Sinclair and Michie say they have food available and don’t hesitate to reach out if you are in need.

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