As Delaware’s emergency food benefits ended last month, the Food Bank of Delaware saw a slight uptick in the number of people it served through its mobile pantries.
It’s not sure what to expect this month as Delaware also begins to cut Medicaid rolls because under COVID-19 emergency rules new enrollees didn’t have to provide income verifications and now they must.
“We know that Delawareans were already struggling to make ends meet due to inflation,” said Kim Turner, communication director at the Food Bank of Delaware.
Coupled with the end of pandemic-era SNAP benefits, she said, “We know it’s even harder to get meals on the table.”
Because of that, the nonprofit is prepared to feed 4,500 First Staters this month, which would be 550 more than last month, through its three pop-up food pantry events.
According to data from the food bank, demand for the food boxes typically dies down in the summer months and rises up again in the winter.
For example, in July 2022, the three mobile pantries served 2,791 residents, but in December, 2022, they fed 3,909 people.
Last year, even with fears of inflation, the numbers dropped from March to April. This year, March had 1,358 more customers than March 2022.
Here’s where to find the mobile pantries:
Sussex County
Monday, April 17 starting at 10a.m. at the Crossroad Community Church, 20684 State Forest Road, in Georgetown. Register here.
Kent County
Wednesday, April 19 starting at 10 a.m. at the Dover Motor Speedway, 1131 North Dupont Highway, in Dover. Attendees can enter through the Leipsic Road entrance and follow signs.
Friday, April 21 starting at 10 a.m. at Delaware Technical Community College, 400 Stanton Christiana Road, in Newark. Register here.
Service is first-come, first-serve. Pre-registration is recommended, but on-site registration is available.
Those requesting food need to bring proof of their Delaware residency, whether that be a state-issued ID, utility bill, Delaware SNAP benefits care or something else with an address.
Raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Jarek earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.A. in political science from Temple University in 2021. After running CNN’s Michael Smerconish’s YouTube channel, Jarek became a reporter for the Bucks County Herald before joining Delaware LIVE News.
