SALT LAKE CITY — Times have gotten tough for many Utah families.
When asked if they have ever seen a demand higher than what they are seeing right now, the head of the Utah Food Bank told KSL NewsRadio they haven’t.
“It’s frightening, it’s so sad,” said Utah Food Bank President and CEO Ginette Bott.
Bott said they initially thought the pandemic was going to be their biggest challenge. Not anymore.
“Our pantries across the state are just seeing a huge increase in numbers, and some of those numbers are higher now than (during) COVID,” Bott said. “Our families are struggling here in our state.”
Bott said the high cost of food isn’t helping the situation, but one of the bigger problems is how expensive things like rent and childcare have gotten.
“Those kinds of things can really set families back, and they have to go through and make decisions,” Bott said. “It’s winter, do we pay the power bill so we have heat? Or do we buy food?”
She expects things could get worse with upcoming tariffs and the already high cost of food.
“Produce coming from Mexico, for example, those prices are going to go even higher. There’s one more thing families will be struggling to decide to purchase. So, it’s kind of a ripple effect that’s pretty scary.”
With more people coming in, Bott said donations will be critical to help meet the higher demand. You can donate time, food or money through the food bank’s website.
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