We all hear it on the news regularly. The reality of inflation’s here, hurting all of us with the rising cost of goods and services. When inflation rises, the value of money—and your savings or income—declines. Unfortunately, some families living on the margins could lead to Food insecurity.

Our team is fortunate to work on shoe drive fundraising with many nonprofits, schools, and organizations, including food banks. In fact, one of our past partners, Kacey Morabito Grean, supported a local food bank during a fundraiser she led. Kacey’s a radio and podcast host of the show, SHINE ON! Kacey’s Health & Happiness Show.

In short, anyone could step up and raise funds for a good cause. All they have to do is to have the will to do it to help others in need. Kacey collected 113 bags with the food bank in her endeavor to Let It Shine. She’s someone who’s incredibly dynamic and believes people should share the love. We agree with her. The world needs a lot more light and people helping people.

Perhaps you feel the same and would like to lead an effort in your community to eliminate Food Insecurity. As we know, families are struggling due to devastating inflation bringing about spiraling costs for everything. In many cases, high inflation rates can lead to hyperinflation, an extremely rapid price rise that can further hurt a country’s economy and society. But, while that’s not currently the case in the U.S., we most certainly have families in a lot of pain.

What is Food Insecurity?

Food Insecurity is the absence of reliable access to enough food for a healthy and active life. It occurs within households with low or uncertain income that may not be able to purchase or access enough nutritious food. Food insecurity is a major problem even in the wealthiest nation in the world. As reported by NPR, the U.S. Department of Agriculture states nearly 14 million households were food insecure in 2020 (the latest available figures). Of course, the figure is expected to go higher now due to inflation. Moreover, many of those in need are children.

Strategies to Cope with Inflation

When the costs of essential foods are rising, food insecure families often need to find additional ways to stretch their food budgets. There are some tips for doing it in case you know of families in need (or for yourself).

• Buy Local. Shop at farmer’s markets, buy from nearby food co-ops, and buy locally grown produce. These fresh foods are usually grown during the warm weather months, when they are naturally less costly to produce.
• Buy Frozen or Canned Food. Frozen or canned fruit and vegetables are often less expensive than fresh food. They are also easy to store, keep and use.
• Shop for Sales. Many grocers have online sites where they advertise weekly sales. Check them to find bargains on the food items you buy most often.
• Freeze Extra Meals. When you find good sales on fruits, vegetables, meats, and other foods, buy extra and freeze them for later use.

Supporting Food Banks in Your Community

There are many ways that you can help. As concern increases about rising food prices, consider supporting your local food bank. Food banks, which distribute free food to those who are food insecure, are found throughout the U.S. Food banks rely on volunteers and donations to provide nutritious food to needy families.

You can donate money to buy food or volunteer to sort and distribute food in your food bank. In addition to supporting food banks, you can also help by writing letters or emails to elected officials. Let them know that rising food prices harm low-income families. You can also help by educating yourself about federal and state nutrition assistance programs, like SNAP or WIC. You can learn more about food assistance options from the Feeding America website.

How to Raise Funds for Food Insecurity with a Shoe Drive Fundraiser

If you volunteer or work at a food bank and want to raise funds in a real and relevant fundraiser, connect with us. As Kacey and her fundraising group learned, you have no out-of-pocket costs. Also, you don’t need to ask people for money when households are struggling with high prices for fuel, clothing, energy, and food. It’s more challenging for people to support a good cause even if they want to do it.

With a shoe drive fundraiser, all you have to do is to collect gently worn, used and new shoes in your community for significant impact. That’s it. Once your fundraiser ends, we issue you the fundraising check. So, there’s no need for anyone to collect money or buy merchandise. Further, a shoe drive fundraiser is a socially responsible event. Not only do you raise funds for a local food bank, but you also repurpose and rescue shoes from the trash. And you also help families living in poverty worldwide. In short, it’s a win/win/win.

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