COVINGTON, Ky. — From inflation to labor cost, multiple factors have led to the cost of food rising steadily. 

What You Need To Know

  • According to the Consumer Price Index, the price for food at home increased 0.4% in January, compared to December

  • The overall food index also rose 0.4% in the first month of 2024

  • Over the past few years, the Be Concerned Pantry has increased its walk-in hours to meet rising demand

The Be Concerned Pantry in Northern Kentucky has opened its doors for walk-in hours. Longtime director Andy Brunsman said walk-in appointments are becoming more frequent.

"On a daily basis, we are seeing more and more demand for not only supplemental food but enough food to make people's income stretch," he said.

Stocking up the pantry has become more expensive in the past few years, Brunsman said.

"Canned corn is a staple for us," he said. "I've spent over a decade in this line of work, and for eight years, I never paid more than, like, $0.42 for a can of corn ... and now we're struggling to find it."

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), supermarket prices are now 25% higher than in Jan. 2020 while inflation has increased at 19% over that same time. That means that even though grocery costs are now rising at a slower pace than during the pandemic's inflationary spike, that same shopping basket still costs more than it did a month ago.

“In 2022, once COVID assistance is rolled back and free food stopped and all the extra donations stopped, we ran over a -$200,000 budget that year," Brunsman said. "And we knew by July that the budget felt tight. But it's because more families never were coming to us for help.”

The organization supplies more than just food, making the pantry a one-stop shop.

"I don't go to five different places to get the things me and my families need ... we're trying to make it as easy on our families as we can and recognize that we're not just a free food pantry, we're the community's free grocery store," he said. 

Until every family in Northern Kentucky has consistent access to food and toiletries, the pantry will continue to serve the community, Brunsman said. 

"We pray for a day where we come to work and there's nobody in line, nobody needs to sign up and nobody asks us for food because that means we finally solved the food insecurity issue in our region," he said. 

The pantry served 2,200 families in Dec. 2023.

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