Rising food costs, supply issues challenge West Suburban Food Pantry

The rising cost of food coupled with short supplies of certain staple items are wreaking havoc with household food budgets as well as the ability of local food pantries to help those most in need of support.

Officials of West Suburban Food Pantry, which serves households throughout DuPage and Will counties, have faced significant short- and long-term challenges in recent weeks.

Paul Matsushima, director of pantry operations, says the limited availability of products has forced the Woodridge nonprofit to expand their sourcing beyond their traditional resources.

"We are committed to ensuring that customers get the items they need to prepare healthy meals, lunches, and snacks for their families. In this climate, we have to spend more time sourcing items that are not readily available from our normal suppliers, and the costs are going up," he says. "Items like cleaning products, toilet paper, diapers, food storage zip lock bags, and laundry detergent can take a real bite out of anyone's budget in the best of times - and these are certainly not the best of times. We can really use help with those items."

The pantry is also struggling to source items including dried beans, canned tomato products (not including pasta sauce), larger containers of various fruit juices, and canned ready-to-eat meals like chili or canned pasta.

Donations of those items can help keep the pantry shelves stocked over the short term and can often be bought in bulk by consumers at big-box stores.

"Any donations of these items will help us keep up with customer demand while we identify new sources," Matsushima said. "We are currently spending over $2,000 more a week than we were a few months ago to meet demand. If we see an increase in the number of people we serve, that dollar amount will go up even more."

Director of Development Lisa Spaeth notes that over the long-term, cash donations can help the pantry leverage its buying power to meet the needs of the community.

"We can buy a dozen eggs for about 75 cents while they are going for well over $2 retail. We can buy a gallon of milk for $2 whereas it costs double that at the grocery store," Spaeth says. "And 91 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to feeding our neighbors in need. And of course, donations are tax-deductible."

West Suburban Community Pantry recently celebrated 30 years of providing food support to local communities. It operates a warehouse and recently renovated Pantry Store at 6809 Hobson Valley Drive, Suite 118 in Woodridge as well as a Virtual Food Pantry at www.virtualfoodpantry.net for online ordering and convenient pick up at various times and locations.

They accepts food and supply donations at the pantry between 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. Cash donations can be made at www.wscpantry.org.