comes to inflation.
Data out from the# federal inflation eased through October.# And according to the Farm Bureau,## the average cost of a Thanksgiving dinner actually# decreased slightly this year to abou But as special correspondent# Fred de Sam Lazaro reports,## stubbornly high food prices are still# squeezing some families this ho FRED DE SAM LAZARO: More# than an hour before it opens,## the line starts to grow outside Today's# Some have used the food pantry for year.# Others are visiting for the first time.
All are welcome, no questions asked,# which, in a still challenging economy,## means demand has gone through the roof.
JESSICA FRANCIS, Executive Director,# Open Cupboard: Befor we were serv FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Jessica Francis is# executive director of Open Cupboard,## the nonprofit that runs Today's Harvest.
The organization's food comes from grocery store## donations and food banks.
And it relies# on volunteers to k JESSICA FRANCIS: We have faith every day that# it's going to work out and that we're going to## have enough food for everybody that's going to# come through our door today.
And, every day,# it does.
But there are days, probably, that# -- where we stretch that faith a little b FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Thirty-seven-year-old Lisa## relies on Today's Harvest fo Are these just outside of your# budget in a typical grocery store?
LISA, Mother: Oh, yes.
They charge# a ridiculous amount per pound.
And## it's like, well, one pound is good for a meal.
(LAUGHTER) spent seven months in a homeless# shelter with sober for three years and has focused# on her mental health and eating bett LISA: I envision being independent# from all of this and being able to## help people with it instead.
But, right now,## I need the help to be able to get to a point# that FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Across Minnesota, visits# to food pantries, also known as food shelves,## have skyrocketed from about 3.6 million# in 2021 to more than 5.5 million last## year.
And that number is expected# to reach seven million this year.
COLLEEN MORIARTY, Executive Director,# Hunger Solutions Minnesota: It's just not## an e many families make it through the month.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Colleen Moriarty leads the to inflation driving up the cost of food coupled# with the rollback of federal benefits like SNAP,## once known as food stamps, which were# temporarily increased during COVID.
COLLEEN MORIARTY: Not being able# to count on the fact that you're## going to have enough money and the# cost of food it is that you need is -- it's just# simply unattainable for many people.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Despite explosive# growth in food shelf use here,## Minnesota is actually relatively# well off when it comes to security.
Many other regions of the# country are seeing far greater need In East Harlem in Manhattan, New York Common# Pantry had already been a big provider of## food assistance before COVID, supplying grocery# packages every two weeks and a daily hot meal for## those in need.
Like in the Twin Cities, the easing# of the pandemic has not meant reduced demand.
Stephen Grimaldi is the executive# director of New York common pantry.
STEPHEN GRIMALDI, Executive Director, New York# Common Pantry: Before the pandemic, we were## serving about 6.3 mi FRED DE SAM LAZARO: About 40 percent of# each package given out is fresh fruits## and vegetables.
The Pantry supports# nearly 200 locations around the but this is its biggest location and the# line stretches all the way around the block.## The organization is distributing# 6,000 turkeys this Thanksgiving.
DOLORES MARTINEZ, New York Resident# (through translator): The turkey## and the other goods that I get today.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Dolores Sh e immigrated from the Dominican Republic# and lives with her son in Manhattan.
She## has big plans to share the food she's# getting today with her extended family.
DOLORES MARTINEZ (through translator): I'm# taking the turkey and other items we will## need from this cart, because they STEPHEN GRIMALDI: So we're seeing# increases from almost every group,## every demographic.
There is a big spike# in d we saw a good number of asylum seekers.
But we're# at a pace about a 600 percent increase this year.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Since last spring,## more than more than 64,000 were currently being housed# in city shelters.
One of those shelters is a## former jail around the corner from New York# Common Pantry housing up to 500 people.
The influx of asylum seekers comes as New York# City was already facing disproportionately high## levels of food insecurity.
An estimated 14.6# percent of New York City residents experienced## food insecurity in 2022.
Nationwide, the# figure is almost 13 percent, which is up## from just over 10 percent in 2021;# 74-year-old Clarence Allen lives on## a fixed income and has been coming here to# stretch his budget since the onset of COVID.
Like one in five New Yorkers,# he also relies on SNAP.
CLARENCE ALLEN, New York Resident: Well,# food stamps ain't enough.
All right.
And,## after three weeks, I ain't got no# food.
But when I come down th ey give me enough to make it through the month.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Like in# Minnesota, Grimaldi says the## rollback of pandemic era benefits and# in STEPHEN GRIMALDI: You have got folks who now# can't afford to buy the fresh food that we## serve here.
And a challenge, of course, for# emergency feeding programs is ha ve to pay for them as well.
So it's the# double whammy, where we don't have enough,## enough resources, but we have to buy more# food to help folks who are really FRED DE SAM LAZARO: That struggle# persists nationwide and year-round.
COLLEEN MORIARTY: I really admire all the efforts# to bring more attention to hunger at th year, because, certainly, when you sit down to a# huge meal and you think of someone having nothing,## that's a problem.
And the donations go up at# that time of year, and then they fall off.
So what I want to say is this.# Hunger can strike anyone.
FRED DE SAM LAZARO: And those tackling this# problem don't expect it to ease anytime soon.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Fred de# Sam Lazaro in Oakdale, Minnesota.
GEOFF BENNETT: Fred's reporting is a partnership## with the Under-Told Stories