Higher grocery prices are squeezing family budgets throughout the Tri-State. Some shoppers say checking prices in the grocery store can be alarming.
“I definitely have noticed the prices have jumped insanely,” said Baylee Smith, who lives in Newport.
Newport resident Lois Daulton agreed.
“It’s pretty bad,” Daulton said. “If I had a family, I’d never make it.”
Daulton said she’s making ends meet.
“What you do is just get what you need — just don’t get no frills,” Daulton said.
But now, even the necessities can quickly add up.
“When that starts getting to a point that even that’s hard to afford, that’s scary,” Smith said.
Karen Zengel, executive director at St. Vincent de Paul, said the need for food assistance in Northern Kentucky is unprecedented.
“I just think that there is a greater need than what we’ve ever experienced before,” she said.
In 2023, St. Vincent de Paul Northern Kentucky served 30,000 people, valued at $978,000.
“And that was up about 35% versus the year prior,” Zengel said.