Fast Take
Grocery costs and up to date disruptions to federal meals help are pushing extra Santa Cruz County residents to native meals banks for the primary time. Demand at some websites has doubled since early November. With staples like meat, eggs and even turkey seeing steep worth hikes, households say they’re scaling again Thanksgiving plans and struggling to remain afloat regardless of working full time.
Grocery costs are nonetheless a serious concern for households all through Santa Cruz County, regardless of the return of federal food benefits following the reopening of the federal government. Individuals struggling to place meals on the desk are flocking to meals banks and pantries by the a whole lot, and a few say they’re skipping Thanksgiving as a result of celebrating the vacation is simply too costly.
Through the first week of November, when the government shutdown paused crucial meals help for hundreds of thousands of households, strains totally free groceries at meals pantries at church buildings and nonprofit organizations in Santa Cruz County doubled. Second Harvest Meals Financial institution was already making ready for a surge of latest faces on account of age and work restrictions that restricted entry to the federal vitamin help program generally known as SNAP beginning Oct. 1.
In the meantime, excessive costs for frequent grocery objects like beef, espresso and milk are additionally driving county residents, lots of whom say their earnings is simply too excessive to qualify for SNAP, to hunt assist at meals pantries for the primary time.
“You both must be tremendous, tremendous poor, otherwise you don’t get something. There ought to be one thing in between, even when it’s one thing short-term, one thing that retains you from the very backside,” mentioned Renee, a Santa Cruz single mom who was a newcomer at Santa Cruz Bible Church’s meals pantry final week and withheld her final title to guard her household’s privateness. She mentioned her earnings is simply too excessive to qualify for meals help, so she’s on the lookout for a second job, however balancing longer work hours with baby care is a problem. She feels there isn’t sufficient help for people who find themselves barely scraping by.
Between August 2024 and August 2025, meals costs rose, on common, 3.1% nationally and 4.3% within the San Francisco Bay Space – the closest metropolitan space to Santa Cruz County – according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meat, poultry, fish and eggs noticed the most important leap; the essential protein objects are 6.5% dearer than they have been final 12 months, in keeping with consumer price index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Some frequent grocery objects noticed double-digit jumps. The costs of floor beef and steak rose almost $1 this 12 months, and egg costs rose 24% on common, according to the U.S. Division of Agriculture. Entire turkey, the standard centerpiece of many vacation meals, is predicted to be 40% more expensive this 12 months than in 2024, on account of outbreaks of avian influenza – aka chook flu – and better demand.
There’s a litany of causes for greater grocery costs — local weather change, animal illnesses, growing labor prices and political components — relying on the precise meals. On Friday, President Donald Trump introduced that he would exempt tariffs on more than 200 grocery items, together with beef, bananas, espresso and tea, in response to nationwide complaints about excessive costs on the grocery store.
Johanna Luke, a volunteer for the twice-weekly meals pantry at Santa Cruz Bible Church in Santa Cruz, mentioned the variety of guests doubled throughout the first week of November. “A few of them have by no means been to a meals financial institution or meals giveaway earlier than, so we have now to take them in hand and stroll them by way of the method,” mentioned Luke.
Final Thursday, pouring rain deterred some individuals from coming, however Luke estimated round 100 individuals confirmed as much as the market-style occasion, the place guests select from donated objects to pack their very own grocery baggage. Since individuals usually decide up for his or her entire family, that interprets to about 400 individuals, she mentioned. “The folks that come out within the rain are those that we all know desperately want meals they usually can’t get it anyplace else,” she mentioned.
Final week, Marissa Hill visited the church’s meals pantry for the primary time together with her mom, Amanda. They reside with three different members of the family in Santa Cruz, however regardless of working full time at a retail job and pooling sources together with her household, Hill struggles to pay for meals.
“I work full time, and I receives a commission decently for what I do, and I’ve an excellent boss, however it’s not sufficient for the price of meals alone, even with out hire,” mentioned Hill. “It feels unimaginable proper now.”
Their Thanksgiving celebration shall be “very small” this 12 months, due to the price of groceries. Usually, Hill and her members of the family cook dinner for different neighbors who’ve well being points and aren’t in a position to cook dinner for themselves, however this 12 months may be the primary 12 months after they aren’t in a position to assist. “It’s horrible, as a result of we actually like doing that for our neighbors,” she mentioned. “And this 12 months, I really feel like we’d like it probably the most, for morale and sanity – that’s one thing we don’t have as a lot of.”
Second Harvest is seeing a rise in demand “straight throughout the board” at the entire meals financial institution’s distribution websites, mentioned consultant Luisa Olivares. In 2024, the meals financial institution served greater than 88,000 people throughout the Thanksgiving season and is anticipating extra households searching for sources this 12 months.
It was esthetician Heather Nicole’s first go to to a Santa Cruz Bible Church final week. Her husband injured his again two weeks earlier, she mentioned, and gained’t be capable to work for 3 to 6 months. The incapacity funds fall far in need of what they should make ends meet, and their family earnings is simply too excessive to qualify for meals help. “We’re screwed as a result of we’re not poor sufficient to qualify for help,” she mentioned.
She mentioned she’s usually the individual giving to meals banks, not selecting up, so visiting the pantry was a problem for her. “I didn’t need to do stuff like this, however so many individuals stored reminding me that they do that to assist individuals on this place,” she mentioned. “You need to settle for the assistance, however it’s arduous while you’ve by no means been in that place earlier than.”
Kevin Painchaud contributed to this report.
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