Economic pressures from inflation has put a strain on food pantries

By Asia McGill

PRINCETON N.J.- Often associated with its top ivy league school of the nation, there remains to be a hidden population of poverty in Princeton, N.J., despite its wealthy reputation. Princeton Mobile Food Pantry (PMFP) has served the community of impoverished families in the area since 2010, but the ongoing waves of inflation have inflicted their purchasing powers of essential goods. 

Food pantries around the nation are experiencing amplified volumes of demand as the holiday season continues, creating a challenging environment for donors as inflation persists.

According to data collected in 2022 by the United States Census Bureau, 5.9% of the Princeton population lives at or below the poverty line. PMFP does not require paperwork to prove the need of assistance, which Jennifer Cohan, the head of public relations at PMFP notes to be beneficial because “there are so many barriers sometimes for people who are seeking assistance.” 

The pantry has been partnered with McCaffrey’s Food Market for the past three years, visiting every other week to stock up on protein items and fresh produce.

The standard order for a family of four or more is one quart of milk, a dozen eggs and 1 ½ lbs. of chicken for proteins. For fruits and vegetables, bananas are typically the standard. 

Other produce may vary since the pantry aims to “source the freshest and most economical produce available at the time,” Cohan said. 

Top commodity items such as eggs axed away at the pantry’s budget, though egg donations from local farmers helped cushion the impact. 

“When eggs were really expensive it was really difficult… but we still provided eggs. It certainly bit into our budget,” Cohan said.

Local residents will also donate to the pantry, but the prices on the shelves have inhibited their ability to contribute at the same levels they once had. 

“The people who might have been inclined to donate here and there… it does change people’s bank accounts as well, even on the donor’s side. We do see somewhat of a slow down in donation as well,” Cohan said.

McCaffrey's Steps In

Anthony Sanfilippo is the steward director at McCaffery’s, and had been on the front lines of inflation when its surge began in April 2021 according to data collected by CNBC.

“I can't think of anything that has not gone up,” Sanfilippo said. “It's pretty much all across the board, simple stuff like canned soups and eggs have gone up.”

Sanfilippo views inflation as an endless cycle: “workers can’t afford life, [so they] ask for higher wages, businesses raise [their] prices, and workers can’t afford the raised prices,” he said.

Though item increases are believed to be a direct reflection of the supermarket’s economical decisions, Sanfilippo says that markets cannot increase prices well above competitor stores.

Sanfilippo said that a lot of his customers think that McCaffery’s is responsible for hiking up the prices, but the reality is that the company is losing money from ordering items at a higher cost than they are being sold in store.

"Inflation kills everyone," he said.

Even with the inflated prices and the store being located in a wealthy neighborhood, McCaffery’s has not been able to make lucrative profits that surpass their expenses.

“Supermarkets do not typically produce as much.. it’s a penny business,” he said.

“You make less on everything you sell.” Liliana Morenilla is the founder and chair of PMFP, and works closely with Sanfilippo each week to devise the plans for the next round of donations.

Morenilla began the food program when she noticed the children in her classroom at Princeton Public Schools did not have any snacks to eat during the day.

“They were fighting for a granola bar, and then I realized these guys don’t have snacks," Morenilla said. "So I started providing snacks for that class, and then I realized that the school didn’t have snacks for the kids.”

Morenilla began visiting different food pantries nearby and would stock her trunk with as many items as she could. After long enough, people began to line up at her car to pick up whatever she had.

Morenilla extends her hand to all the families she works closely with, but opens her doors to the homeless as well. Every third Saturday of the month, those who walk in can stock up on whichever items are on her shelves.

“My job at the pantry is to check how everybody is doing… if they have COVID, if they have cancer or if they are diabetic,” Morenilla said.

Though the pantry has had to make frugal decisions to keep their shelves stocked, Morenilla and her team would rather face their financial sacrifices than to leave a family empty-handed.

“In a dream world there would be no need for us honestly… to be quite honest due to inflation and due to the lingering pandemic, so many people are still getting sick,” Cohan said. “Our list has only grown and continues to grow.”