Local food pantries won’t offer eggs for foreseeable future

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Local food pantries anticipate the egg shortage to have no end in sight due to the major impact of bird flu in the United States.

Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, a charitable food assistance organization, has not been able to provide cartons of eggs for nearly two years, according to Executive Director Jennifer Johnson.

The shortage impacts 600-800 people who rely on the 10 food pantries throughout Kalamazoo County served by Loaves and Fishes every day, Johnson told News Channel 3.

At this point, the organization has had to get creative with how to fill the nutritional gap that’s been left behind on the tables of those in need, according to Johnson.

“We’re putting our dollars into other nutritional items, other dairy products, like milk or butter,” Johnson said. “We provide bread to every individual who needs it, you know, those sorts of things.”

Anywhere from 16,000 to 18,000 grocery orders are filled every month by Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, according to Johnson.

In the past, this meant at least 18,000 cartons of eggs every month.

“In the old days, we provide a couple dozen eggs. That got cut short several years ago when eggs became more expensive,” said Johnson. “So, we were providing one dozen eggs per food order. Now, that’s kind of gone away. We can’t provide that very valuable food resource for families.”

While many families have questioned when eggs might become available again, Johnson told News Channel 3 no one has complained. Rather, people are just grateful to be able to count on the ministry to put food on the table.

“We’re riding it out,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping that food prices, of course, go down. We’re not very hopeful that it will, but we’re doing the best we can. This is an amazing community who comes together, who provides us with donations and food donations as well as funds. And we’re really grateful because without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.”

Johnson told News Channel 3 there is some concern about possible cuts to funding for people who rely on government assistance and how that could impact the ministry and the 10 pantries they serve throughout Kalamazoo County.

People can make monetary or food donations directly to Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes to help support its initiative to support the community.