The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County serves about 200,000 people across the county each year. But as food prices rise, the organization says more families are struggling to put food on the table.
Families in our community are having trouble purchasing food. Food prices have gone up 30 percent since 2020, said Laurel Alcantar, Director of Marketing for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.
The increased demand comes as the food bank faces millions of dollars in lost food and funding.
Weve been undergoing mass cuts, and these cuts have resulted in the loss of $3 million in food and funding for the food bank, said Hannah Ryckman, the food bank’s Grants Strategy Officer.
Despite those challenges, the food bank is looking for new ways to keep its shelves stocked and provide food to families throughout the county.
We have a Farm to Food Table program, which is allowing us to source more produce to serve to our neighbors, Alcantar said. Our team is constantly looking for ways to innovate, best serve our needs.
That includes finding new sources of fresh food while continuing to provide families with staple items they can use to prepare meals.
What we have here are boxes of staple food items, Alcantar said. You have items like beans, canned meals and various shelf-stable foods families can use to make a meal.
The food bank says community members can help by making a financial donation, volunteering or donating shelf-stable food.
As demand continues to grow, the organization says those contributions can help ensure families across Santa Barbara County have access to the food they need.
Donations to KSBY’s Season of Hope campaign will help feed local families across the Central Coast this holiday season. Click here to donate now.