WILLOWICK, Ohio — Although inflation is at its lowest point in more than two years, many Northeast Ohioans say they’re still struggling to put food on the table.
Saturday, Willow Praise Church in Willowick gave out 6 tons of produce during its monthly distribution. Families and individuals from around the area lined up early to receive fresh fruit and vegetables.
“We see that the need is still as great as it was throughout the year,” Lead Pastor Larry Bogenrief said. “The Food Bank just reported again that they’re at their highest level of service that they’ve had in the history of the Cleveland Food Bank.”
He explained the church has seen the greatest need among seniors, many of whom are stretching a fixed income to cover the rising costs of food and medication.
“I have to pick and choose what I get and how much of it I can afford per week,” Cyndy Simando said.
Karen Dawson said she has had to ration food and medications to be able to afford more.
“[I’ve been] eating less, cutting back on medication. I’ll take some every other day so it can stretch out for another month, and then I’ll be able to buy a little something more to eat,” Dawson said.
Both women told News 5 they began attending the monthly food distributions during the pandemic to help supplement the food they could afford at the grocery store.
“Inflation is so terrible because everything’s high, the money don’t go higher,” Dawson said.
According to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), inflation shrank to 3% in June. It’s the lowest rate since March of 2021. Despite the relatively modest rate, some Northeast Ohioans said they’re not yet feeling relief.
Grocery costs are still high. BLS data showed the price of food meant to be consumed at home increased by 4.7% from the same time in 2022. In March, SNAP recipients also lost pandemic-era emergency allotments many were relying on to cover food expenses.
“I was getting about $223, something like that. And then it dropped back down to $23,” Dawson explained about the decrease in assistance.
Pastor Bogenrief said, “For a senior, losing $250 worth of food available to them on a monthly basis is not something that they’ve caught up to yet. So we have not seen that in the grassroots where we’re at because there seems to be just as much need.”
The church hosts monthly distributions at its Willowick headquarters and at the East Senior Center. Saturday’s event also included pet food assistance. Ohio Paws with Purpose helped connect animal owners to veterinary care and free spay and neuter vouchers. Altogether, the two organizations gave out roughly 14,000 pounds of produce and pet food.
Bogenrief said he expects the demand to remain high.
“I don’t think it’s going to change. I think we’ve found a new normal here. And it will be interesting this fall to see how that plays out,” he said.
Dropping fuel prices have largely driven the lower inflation rate. Consumers are paying 26.5% less at the pump than record high costs of a year ago. Natural gas is about 18% cheaper.
At the same time, average wages are up 4.4%. Some point to both as encouraging signs of a rebounding economy.
“It seems as though the Fed’s policy of raising interest rates has indeed cooled the economy,” said Case Western Reserve University Business Professor Michael Golberg.
However, he cautioned global events can still influence U.S. consumer goods and services. He said potential worker strikes, the war in Ukraine and extreme weather could all affect the supply chain and U.S. prices.
“We’re probably not out of the woods yet. And I think things like some of the crazy things that we’ve seen in the weather may lead to higher prices, certainly around items like food,” he said.
Just as community assistance providers are preparing to meet high demand in the coming months, families and individuals are also preparing to need the support.
“It would have to drop to actually help. So that everybody won’t have to be so stressed about money or prescriptions or paying the light bill or gas bill,” Dawson said.
Produce and pet food distributions are held on the fourth Saturday of every month from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Willow Praise Church in Willowick.
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