INGLESIDE, Texas — As inflation makes the cost of feeding families rise, one partnership is providing some relief.
Ingleside Police Department teamed up with the Coastal Bend Food Bank to distribute meals to 200 families. In the last two and half years, they've helped put food on the table in Ingleside. Director of the food bank, Bea Hanson said communities need it now more than ever.
"With the price of gas going up, more people are coming back to us asking for assistance because they have to make very difficult choices," Hanson said.
Ingleside Police Chief Tammy Burr said the resources provided by the partnership can give families that extra support they need.
"Maybe they can use that extra money that they would have paid for groceries to pay one of their bills that might be past due or something," Burr said. "So, I think it all just comes together and helps them in whatever way that they need."
The distribution can mean the difference between families buying food or filling their car with gas. That's why the food bank is going beyond meal deliveries.
"We want people not to have to make those decisions," Hanson said. "So we're also offering a service where we help families to apply for food stamps for SNAP. And that way they have the ability to go to the grocery store and get food for the whole month."
Ingleside PD also assisted with the drive-through meal distributions. About 20 volunteers came to lend a hand. It's something the department knew the community needed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
"People were out of work and fell on hard times and didn't have the food necessary to sustain their families," Burr said. "So, we thought it was important to team up with someone like the food bank to help our community."
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 1% increase in the February consumer price index for food, the highest monthly increase since April 2020. It's one reason Hanson said now is important for families to get the help they need.
"Even families that had never come to us before, they find themselves in a difficult spot and they just need some help to get through this hard time," Hanson said.
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