South Georgia food banks strained as demand rises and supplies shrink

Georgia counties below the gnat line face higher levels of food insecurity than the national average, and food banks that serve the area have seen an increase in demand and a decrease in supply streams.

Frank Sheppard, president of Feeding the Valley food bank in West Georgia, told GPB News that most food pantries in his service area have had to reduce the amount of food they give out.

“This food shortage is no surprise to anyone,” he said. “But this crisis has really surged in the first quarter of the calendar year, making it just that much more difficult.”

He said they have seen less donations from retailers, manufacturers and farmers as well as a decrease in federal commodities.

Eliza McCall,with Second Harvest of South Georgia, told GPB that they had a food pantry in Turner County that no longer could afford weekly meal distributions. The food pantry is seeking donations for $15,000 to keep their weekly distribution, but they have only raised $875 so far.

“We are seeing people who have never needed help before in the last few years have needed that,” McCall said. “We are hearing them talk about food prices, we are hearing the talk about gas prices, it’s a lot of different factors.”