VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Food Bank of Central New York Experiencing Abnormally High Need for Food Donations
Lauren Holdmeyer: It’s October, and the leaves are falling… but one thing that continues to rise is the price of food, leaving the Food Bank of Central New York with abnormally high numbers for those in need.
Heidi Soine: At this moment, we finished up our quarter with a 6% increase.
Holdmeyer: The food bank is experiencing pre-pandemic numbers for locals needing donations. Heidi Soine, Director of Development at the Food Bank, says there’s one clear way to overcome this need.
Soine: The need is always there. It’s never gonna go away. We just ask that the community members support the of food bank in any way that they can.
John Carroll: Today, we’re making boxes…
Holdmeyer: John Carroll is a community member who’s been volunteering at the food bank for over three years. He says there’s one reason why he does it.
Carroll: Helping people that need help. In today’s society, there’s more and more people who need it.
Holdmeyer: The food bank is going to be in even greater need of donations come the holiday season.
Soine: Especially this time of year, you know, everyone gets it. Expenses are, you know, higher in different ways.
Holdmeyer: Soine says the food bank is grateful for any way the community can get involved this season.
Soine: We have food donations, monetary donations… even sharing social media posts, going to an event… we function with the community’s help. So, we’re all in this together.
Holdmeyer: In Syracuse, Lauren Holdmeyer, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The continuously rising price of food is causing an increasing number of individuals in the Central New York area to need food donations via the Food Bank of Central New York. Heidi Soine, director of development at the Food Bank of Central New York, said the donation center is now seeing numbers as high as they were during the COVID-19 pandemic for those in need, and that the Food Bank is currently experiencing a 6% increase for donation requests.
Soine and other employees at the food bank are requesting the community’s help during this abnormal time.
“The need is always there. It’s never going to go away,” Soine said. “We just ask that the community members support the food bank any way that they can.”
John Carroll, who is a Central New York community member and three-year volunteer of the food bank, recognizes the importance of volunteering now more than ever.
“The most important thing is helping people that need help. In today’s society, there’s more and more people who need it,” Carroll said.
Looking ahead to the holiday season, the food bank is expecting to see an even greater demand for donations. Soine asks the community to continue to support by any donations that they are able to make, by attending events or even sharing posts on social media.