LISTEN: Emergency Food Pantry Executive Director Stacie Loegering’s interview with Scott Hennen
FARGO, N.D. – The amount of people needing help with putting food on their tables has drastically increased for a Fargo organization.
Emergency Food Pantry Executive Director Stacie Loegering said the pantry typically gives out 100,000 pounds of food in one month. Last week, the organization gave out 51,000 pounds. One hundred fifty families were helped that week.
“On a typical day, we have served about 74 or 75 families that come through the food pantry,” Loegering said on The Flag. “Even at the end of October, you could tell that people were starting to be stressed because of everything that was in the news, and they were uncertain.”
The Trump administration has failed to fully fund SNAP benefits for November.
One-in-seven people across the region are food insecure according to Loegering. She said heir income doesn’t match the basic needs including rent and utility bills.
“I think, sometimes, the misconception is going to be somebody who’s not working,” Loegering said. “The misconception might be someone who is homeless.”
She said the majority of those coming in are working and have multiple jobs.
There are several ways for the community to support the pantry, including dropping items off in bins at the front of grocery stores.
Volunteers also do ‘retail rescue,’ where they go to grocery stores and pick up food past its sell by date.
Anyone in need of food assistance can call 2-1-1 for resources.
Click here to find out more about the Emergency Food Pantry including how to volunteer.
