By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Brown Bag Food Project is struggling both with increasing demand and increasing prices. And at the same time, the emergency food service is reaching out to help more people.
Through a partnership with Door Dash, Brown Bag is offering free delivery to clients who live within a 10-mile radius of the project’s office at 530 Sand Ridge Road. That takes in Cygnet, Weston, and Jerry City and other rural areas.
Amy Jo Holland, the founder and pantry manager, said the service started back in May when Brown Bag was approached by Door Dash. It’s a pilot program, she said, with Door Dash picking up the cost.
Last month, 70 deliveries were made. These likely were to families who had not previously been able to avail themselves of the service because they lacked transportation to the Bowling Green site. “I think we’re reaching a lot more people who don’t usually come to us,” Holland said.
Brown Bag provides emergency food assistance and then offers guidance for getting long-term assistance.
The demand, Holland said, has increased since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
People are struggling because of inflation, she said. And the assistance available during the pandemic, both increased Food Stamp benefits and federal stimulus payments, have ended just as prices headed upward.
Brown Bag, Holland said, is serving 400-500 families, about 1,000 individuals, a month. That’s five times more than they served in 2016, a year after the project was launched.
Every night, she said, seems like a record with people lined up waiting to pick up their food.
While inflation is pushing more people to seek assistance, it is also increasing the cost of providing that assistance.
Given it’s summer, produce is available with donations from community gardens and a partnership with Riehm Farms, Holland said.
But dairy and meat are more expensive. Eggs, once a $1 a dozen, now cost as much as $4.
Meat is also expensive, and seldom available through the Northwestern Ohio Food Bank.
Volunteers from Brown Bag are out shopping daily, Holland said, watching for clearance sales. This week Meijer had a sale on steak – it was cheaper than hamburger, so that’s what they’ve bought. It’s not something you would expect to get from a food pantry, she said.
The price of chicken makes it prohibitive.
Packages from Brown Bag always include the staples – bread, meat, eggs, and milk. The project also provides diapers, sanitary items, and other necessities that cannot be purchased with SNAP benefits.
The project has received grants from the federal Department of Homeland Security and the United Way, but those are being stretched thin.
Monetary donations “have gone down a lot,” she said. Something she attributed both to the pandemic and inflation.
Click to arrange for delivery, make a donation, or contact Brown Bag Food Pantry.
