A 2022 report by Feeding America charts Pennsylvania’s food insecurity rate at 11.9% and in southwest Pennsylvania, children experienced the highest increase in food security in the state.
With rising inflation, families have to make the difficult choice between rent and groceries, and the need for local food banks is only increasing near cities like Pittsburgh.
In a recent interview, vice president of marketing and communications for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Brian Gulish described the recent trend of needing more food each year as unsurprising. “We’ve anticipated this. We have every reason to believe that next year, it’s going to increase again based on some of the trends that we’re currently seeing. All expenses across the board are going up, food, gas, energy, housing. We hear stories about people who are working two jobs, a full-time job and a part-time job, to try to make ends meet.”
Melody Hittle recently discussed her move from Delaware to State College, Pennsylvania in an interview. Hittle eventually found a small place to rent for $900 and makes $18 per hour at her current job. The living wage in State College is currently higher at $23.15 per hour according to recent data. Hittle has struggled to pay $400 a month for groceries and finds financing a new car challenging due to interest rates.
Inflation peaked at 9% under President Joe Biden in June of 2022 according to recent analysis. It has since failed to drop below 3%, and high prices of food, gas, and housing are placing strain on the average American family.
A recent survey indicated that 80% of Americans say that current high prices are among their biggest financial challenges. This has reflected poorly on Biden’s approval ratings, where inflation proves to be the biggest economic hurdle towards re-election.
