As inflation has pushed up the price of meals, demand has increased at food pantries and soup kitchens in western Massachusetts.
Food insecurity skyrocketed at the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, abated when federal relief programs kicked in, but is on the rise now as government assistance is ending and food costs are soaring.
WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill spoke with Christina Maxwell, Director of Programs at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.