Soaring food and gas prices have also hurt charitable organizations that help those in need.

“It’s become a huge problem for us,” said Connie Wilson, a board member with the Lord’s Cupboard Food Pantry in Minot.

Earlier this week the Great Plains Food Bank in Fargo, which had been a major source for lower-priced food at the Lord’s Cupboard Food Pantry, located at 1725 Burdick Expressway West in Minot, announced it is forecasting it will have 1 million fewer pounds of food to distribute to those in need during the current fiscal year. That amounts to more than 800,000 fewer meals provided for the needy. The Great Plains Food Bank attributed the shortfall to high prices and less food being donated.

Wilson said Lord’s Cupboard is trying to look elsewhere to buy food for the food pantry,, trying to spread their purchases around at local groceries, but at much higher costs.

“It has been extremely difficult to get meat and protein,” said Wilson, who said a truckload of food for the pantry, about 32,000 pounds, cost less than $2,000 a couple of years ago and now costs $6,000 to $7,000.

Cheese and other types of protein are also harder to find.

The cost of fruit and vegetables has also gone up, but the Lord’s Food Cupboard has its own garden and will harvest vegetables that can be served to its clients, which helps keep costs down.

More donations of supplies and of money would be welcome.

The Lord’s Cupboard serves 1,400 households in Ward County every month. It is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. And on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 7 p.m. The organization also participates in the United Way’s Door Dash program that delivers food to the homes of families that sign up for delivery. About 60 households per week participate.

The Lord’s Cupboard doesn’t turn anyone away who asks for assistance and does not require proof of income.

Community Action, which has an emergency food pantry, has not purchased from the Great Plains Food Bank but is also impacted by the higher prices of groceries and toiletries, said receptionist Cindy Clark.

Clark said she has noticed that canned goods of the type with pop-up tops that are purchased for homeless clients without access to can openers have more than doubled in price over the last year.

The need has also increased along with the prices. Clark said Community Action has served walk-ins, some of them people who moved to Minot without first lining up a job or housing.

The group receives donations but more assistance would definitely be appreciated.

“There are many elements at work here that are creating challenges for the organization in meeting the hunger needs of our neighbors,” Great Plains Food Bank Chief Operating Officer Kate Molbert. “We are anticipating a significant food shortfall this year, but are working to be innovative in ways we can best fill this gap. We don’t want to paint the picture that there won’t be food available. We will still be here to serve our neighbors living with food insecurity who rely on our services each day. 1 million pounds fewer equals 800,000 meals not available to our neighbors in need. If there ever was a time when the public can assist us in filling this gap, now is the time.”

The Great Plains Food Bank distributed more than 13.4 million pounds of food during the most recent fiscal year, which runs from July until June each year. It said the forecasted 1 million pound deficit to be distributed this current fiscal year is due largely to the fact that food donations from retailers, growers and manufacturers made to the Great Plains Food Bank have reached their lowest levels since 2018, when the organization was serving 30,000 fewer individuals than it is today.

The Great Plains Food Bank expects donations to fall in the current fiscal year and to help offset that deficit is budgeting $2.2 million to purchase food this year, which is easily the largest amount in any year in the organization’s 39-year history and twice what was spent on food purchasing during the past fiscal year. Additionally, approaches are currently being taken to acquire new growers, manufacturers and retail partners interested in donating food product to help mitigate these challenges.

The Great Plains Food Bank serves as North Dakota’s only food bank. Its partner network includes 213 food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and other charitable feeding programs operating in 99 communities across N.D. and Clay County, Minnesota.