MONTGOMERY – Soaring fuel prices are hitting the Regional Food Bank hard, driving delivery fleet costs up more than 54 percent compared to last year.
Across the Hudson Valley and its massive 23-county service area, trucks are logging nearly 30,000 miles a month to keep local pantries stocked with the food bank paying an extra $10,000 a month for fuel. Valuable resources are being redirected, meaning roughly 30,000 meals are going into gas tanks instead of onto the tables of families in need.
“We were already dealing with budget cuts, inflation, and the rising food insecurity, and now we’re feeling the pressure of high fuel prices,” said Barry Lewis, a spokesperson for the organization.
According to Lewis, the demand for food is increasing because of harsh cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits by the administration in Washington.
“We have parents skipping meals so their children can eat,” Lewis added.
Residents can help by donating time and/or money to local food pantries and the Regional Food Bank.
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