Freestore Foodbank kept its doors open through Christmas Eve to make sure families had groceries for the holidays.
The market gave 50 pounds of food to each family who shopped.
“It’s nice because not everybody has someone who cares,” shopper Victoria Sprechera said.
Sprechera is currently unemployed, pregnant and taking care of her family. She said she was worried about where her family’s next meal would come from.
“[There’s] not really food places open today so we just got a few groceries,” she said.
Blake Sheely/WCPO Sprechera grabbed bacon, canned goods, pasta and more from the market. Michael Truitt, Freestore Foodbank’s director of community partnerships and programs, said food insecurity has increased due to a decrease in government spending and inflation affecting the cost of living and groceries.
“It spells disaster for a lot of families,” Truitt said.
According to the Ohio Association of Foodbanks , food banks in 2023 saw a 34% increase in families taking home groceries from food banks compared to 2022. That’s a 56% increase from 2019.