SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — With inflation on the rise and food costs going up, the issue of food insecurity is expected to increase. That’s why our parent company Sinclair is teaming up with the Salvation Army with a special: ‘Sinclair Cares: From Homeless to Hope.” KUTV 2News’ Natalie Wadas spoke with the Salt Lake City Salvation Army and shines a light on the work they are doing to help those on the verge of crisis.
“Everybody needs help right now. They’re not making enough—the rents are going up; groceries are going up. I mean, we need help, you know?” said Lili Ramirez, who volunteers at the Salvation Army and uses their food pantry.
The Salvation Army food pantry in Salt Lake City has a very basic mission: help families that are in crisis, or on the brink of it, fight food insecurity. “The need is great. We serve about 630 households per month through this program and I would say that about 500 of those are single, like one-time users,” said Lieutenant Kate Combs, corps officer for The Salvation Army in Salt Lake City.
Every week, hundreds of people line up outside their doors to get groceries. Combs says the number of pantry visits has risen 60 percent since just 2021. “We’re seeing about 70 families each time we open which is stretching us and uses all the food that we have available for that day,” Combs said.
They give out 37,000 pounds of food each month. Most of it comes from the Utah Food Bank—with resources also coming from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and various food drives throughout the year. “To make sure there’s some available to everyone, we will limit the items based on family size,” Combs said.
This food pantry is unique, in that it simulates the experience of a grocery store—allowing people to pick out the items they’d like to take with them. They call it the ‘choice-model,’ rather than handing every person a standard box of food. “We do it that way to reduce waste, to recognize that families have preferences as well as maybe food intolerances. We don’t want to just hand them items that they’re not going to use or they don’t like,” Combs said.
The food pantry runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Wednesday afternoon, while KUTV was there, the line grew rapidly. We asked Ramirez what she felt like the need was like in the community for services like this: “God, it’s overwhelming. They don’t have enough services,” Ramirez said, “I’m on a limited income, and I need extra help. The meat helps a lot, you know, and all the fresh vegetables and fruits.”
The Salvation Army says this pantry is meant to be a supplement. “We know that it could be: they’re one portion of their rent payment away from receiving that eviction notice. So, if they can come to us to receive some food items, they can hopefully use their dollars elsewhere,” Combs said.
The Salvation Army in Salt Lake City also offers financial and spiritual help.
For more information on how to get involved and about the pantry, visit saltlakecity.salvationarmy.org.
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