The mix of local residents visiting the Enfield Food Shelf in Connecticut has changed a lot in the last few years.
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, many were elderly or disabled people on fixed incomes, said Kathleen Souvigney, the food pantry’s executive director for the past decade.
But now, more of the folks seeking assistance are working families who are struggling to make ends meet as their cost of living skyrockets. Paying for child care, housing, cars, heating and other basic needs doesn’t leave enough money these days for food, which has also risen sharply in price, Souvigney hears time and time again.
“Most of the new folks are working families,” she said. “Many of the jobs aren’t paying enough to take care of expenses and put away a little savings. It now seems that one unexpected expense tips people’s finances.”