LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away and the Arkansas Foodbank is busier than ever.
Food insecurity is always top of mind for the non-profit, especially during the holidays.
This year especially, the foodbank is going to need all the help they can get to help hungry Arkansans.
The Arkansas Foodbank is struggling with the same things they did last year at this time.
More people are lining up at their food pantries, which means more donations are needed every single day.
While volunteers packed up boxes on Monday afternoon, CEO Rhonda Sanders said the food that's going inside it is moving through the community quickly.
"The need is still there. We're getting in and we're moving it out, as soon as it gets here," she said.
Last year the food bank saw a 30% increase in the amount of food they gave out.
2021 won't be far behind that demand according to Sanders, with an expected 38 million pounds of food going to Arkansans in need.
"Since the pandemic, we have seen a tremendous need growing during this time of year, and even as we're starting to come out of the pandemic, here in 2021," she said.
Over the past few months that need has picked up even more, which Sanders believes is a combination of people catching up on bills they still owe from last year and the increase of prices on food.
"What $1 buys right now is nowhere close to what it bought two years ago or even a year ago, or even six months ago," she said.
Those empty shelf issues the grocery stores are dealing with right now are also affecting the food bank, according to Sanders.
"We have found that even in orders that we place for products when it gets here, maybe only half of it'll be here because they had to cancel half of the order because they only have so much food," she said.
While the price tag on food has shot up, Sanders said, so has everything else the food bank needs to run daily.
"I can tell you that the transportation costs have gone up substantially. This past year, the cost of boxes and things has gone up a lot," she said.
With all of the struggles the past two years have brought, Sanders said, the value of just one can or box can go a long way.
"To be able to actually hand that box to someone and just see the joy in their eyes when they get that food, makes holidays worthwhile," she said.
The two foods the food bank needs desperately are canned vegetables and protein items.
You can find the easiest ways to donate food or money here.