- It’s almost Thanksgiving, but as food inflation has been on the rise over the years, it can be a struggle to find affordable meals to put on your plate.
- While the statistics can be intimidating, the community is here to support those in need.
- If you’re experiencing food insecurity, call 2-1-1 to be connected with a local distribution center.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The American Farm Bureau Federation finds the classic Thanksgiving feast for ten people will cost about $58.08, depending on the region.
In the west, this number is closer to $67.05 according to the Bureau's annual Thanksgiving Dinner Survey.
While this price has dropped by about 5% from last year, it's still up by about 20% from five years ago.
Aaron Hegde, professor of economics at CSUB says, “Most of the things that you have at Thanksgiving are not necessarily something you consume on a regular basis. So people are not necessarily aware of the changes in price.”
He adds that the price of turkey is even higher in Bakersfield.
“The average price for Turkey here is about $2 a pound,” said Hegde. “So the American Farm Bureau, when they priced out the turkey, they did a… 16 pound Turkey, and their price was a lot less than about $2 a pound.”
Kelly Lowery, food bank administrator at CapK, says he sees this impact.
“The holiday times are an exceptional time of need and unfortunately, what we’re seeing is just an extension of the fact that the need has been growing,” said Lowery.
He anticipates an increase during the holiday season.
“Since even January of last year, we have been engaging in providing emergency food resources to about 100,000 engagements every single month. And in August of this year, ahead of the holiday schedule, that number doubled to over 200,000 engagements every single month,” said Lowery.
The Thanksgiving Dinner Survey says that seven traditional items have dropped in price this year including turkey, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, a vegetable tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie mix, pie crusts, and whole milk.
However, the survey found that some items have increased in price including dinner rolls, fresh cranberries, whipped cream, and cubed stuffing.
Many of these, CapK asks for donations of.
“We do food drives during the holiday times and we ask specifically in those food drives for holiday specific items like stuffing and… cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and things that are kind of traditional,” said Lowery.
Hegde says when it comes to saving, it may mean going a bit out of your way.
“Certain stores may be convenient, but the prices are typically higher than other stores where it may not be as convenient, but it is competitive,” said Hegde.
Both Hegde and Lowery say for the season of giving, one thing to be thankful for is the food on your table.
“If there’s somebody watching that is experiencing food insecurity, and they may be seeing this and saying, ‘man, I’m in need myself.’ They can call 2-1-1 and be connected with the local distribution that’s happening,” said Lowery.
To volunteer or donate to CapK, visit their website.
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