Demand At U.S. Food Banks Continues To Rise

Friday, August 14, 2015
By Paul Martin

By Star Fox
ActivistPost.com
AUGUST 14, 2015

What does it tell you about the U.S. economy when lines at food banks across the country have steadily increased since 2008. Does it sound like an economy that is recovering?

Of course not.

According to The Associated Press there are some people out there who actually believe that the U.S. economy has improved since the collapse of 2008, despite the increase in demand for free food from food banks being a huge red flag signaling the opposite.

The Associated Press reports:

Food banks across the country are seeing a rising demand for free groceries despite the growing economy, leading some charities to reduce the amount of food they offer each family.

U.S. food banks are expected to give away about 4 billion pounds of food this year, more than double the amount provided a decade ago, according to Feeding America, the nation’s primary food bank network. The group gave away 3.8 billion in 2013.

While reliance on food banks exploded when the economy tanked in 2008, groups said demand continues to rise year after year, leaving them scrambling to find more food.

“We get lines of people every day, starting at 6:30 in the morning,” said Sheila Moore, who oversees food distribution at The Storehouse, the largest pantry in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and one where food distribution has climbed 15 percent in the past year.

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James Ziliak, who founded the Center for Poverty Research at the University of Kentucky, said the increased demand is surprising since the economy is growing and unemployment has dropped from 10 percent during the recession to 5.3 percent last month.

However, many people who have found jobs are working only part-time or for low wages, and others have stopped looking for work.

The Rest…HERE

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