Local food shelf
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High food prices forcing some to food shelves
The high food prices that have pushed so many Americans to their limits are beginning to push some over the edge. Bill, who lives in Hopkins with his wife and four children, has begun to go to a food shelf once a month for a free load of food that lasts 2-3 weeks. "They said we earn too much to get food stamps," his wife, Wendy, said. The food shelf has become a necessity since they lost their last home to foreclosure and the debts piled up. "In order to make up for that, we had to get help, get assistance wherever we could," Bill said. "And this was a good start." They are far from alone. The food shelf bill's family visits, run by Intercongregation Communities Association in Minnetonka, says traffic has increased 44 percent this year. "And with that demand," said ICA director Annette Marie Poeschel, "food shelves are concerned about: How can we keep up with that?" To make matters worse, in times of high food prices and soaring gas prices, people who normally donate to food shelves are not donating as much The state legislature just recognized how serious the problem is. It passed an emergency appropriation of $500,000 in funding for food shelves. It's not much, but it's the first increase in funding for food shelves since 1995. ICA says 40 percent of the people who visit the food shelf collect food stamps as well. But those stamps, with an average weekly benefit of $37, don't go very far. "We have a lot of families, they can't afford gas," Poeschel said. We're even trying to get bikes to some of our families." Bill is working two jobs and hoping, before long, he can repay the food shelf that keeps his family going. "Basically, the plan is to get ahead and then give back," he said. The new farm bill, which Congress passed over President Bush's veto, contains an extra $1 billion for food stamps.
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