Lisa Tuter, Executive Director
The story on the street is that consumer confidence is climbing, inflation is slowing and the economy keeps growing. The story at Twin Lakes Food Bank is quite different; the long lines of food insecure families coming to us for supplemental groceries every week remains high. They are nervous, not confident. The slowed inflation has not affected the high prices they are paying at the grocery store. The growing economy has not grown much of our guests’ paychecks to be able to pay for essential good and services.
Last week, I stopped to talk to Mary, who was waiting in a long line to be served groceries and thanked her for her patience as she had been waiting almost an hour to get checked in. Mary said that she grateful for the food bank because her finances had taken a hard turn over the last few months and then shared her story. “I am retired and widowed on a fixed income. I own my mobile home but the rent for the space is $800 and takes nearly 50% of my social security income.” Additionally, Mary’s credit card debt mounted due to increased interest rates and prompted her to pay off that debt, essentially draining her savings account. “I am literally living paycheck to paycheck with little money left to purchase groceries. Twin Lakes Food Bank is a godsend.”
Mary and other senior citizens like her are one of the reasons that Twin Lakes Food Bank has gone from serving an average of 1800 individuals to over 3000 individuals every month, since November 2023.
We are grateful to our financial donors who ensure that hungry neighbors like Mary get access to nutritious food through Twin Lakes Food Bank programs and services. If you haven’t yet contributed to the food bank, I invite you to consider donating now and join hundreds of others in our community who are making a difference in the lives of food insecure families
