A Place at the Table: The Battle Against Inflation

Published On: October 13th, 2023By Carissa CasaresCategories: Stories3.4 min read

“Don’t get me started…” warns Erika when asked how inflation has recently impacted her and her family. She lists items that have been too expensive for her to purchase: milk, eggs. She says something that many people running households have been thinking over the past few years: “Every penny counts.”

Over the past two years, persistent inflation has made life increasingly difficult for families like Erika’s. Erika is a single mother of three children and is their sole provider. She works full- time to maintain her household, but even working full-time does not net her enough money to cover all her and her kids’ expenses. Her paycheck goes directly to the essentials: rent and bills. There’s not much left to grocery shop for nutritious foods she’d like to feed her kids.

“You have to provide for them, and if you have to make sure that you give up your plate for them, you do. You are there for them. That’s your main goal. I just want to make sure they are well fed and have what they need to keep going.”

Erika with her daughters, Maddox (16) and Bryanne (8)

Finding the Resources

Thankfully, Erika found out about Feeding San Diego. She saw an ad on Facebook about Feeding San Diego’s food distribution near her and decided to go. Quickly, she felt some of the pressure lift off her to provide everything by herself.

“Feeding San Diego was the program that opened up the doors. It was welcoming. They said, ‘Ok, you guys need food? How many families?’ We picked up for another family, and it was fine, no questions asked. They got us what we needed. We’re very grateful for this program because if it wasn’t for it, we wouldn’t be having anything,” she shared.

The warm reception she received at the food distribution convinced her to keep coming back.

Now, Erika happily lists the food she has received from Feeding San Diego: apples, oranges, strawberries, milk, peanut butter, bread, canned tuna or chicken.

New Healthy Habits

Attending the food distribution has had another positive benefit in Erika’s household. Now, her kids are eating vegetables.

“Before they would not even touch vegetables, I kid you not,” she shared. But now, they are getting more used to eating fresh produce. She says her kids are happier, too.

“When my kids have access to food, they are very energetic, very animated. They have energy to do what they need to do. You can totally tell that it lifts them up.”

Bryanne enjoys a healthy snack

The Inflation Challenge Continues

While receiving food from Feeding San Diego has helped Erika and her family, she still worries about the future. Her health suffered during the pandemic due to the stress. She was laid off for a month and a half and worries about the effects of inflation on her family.

“The main thing that scares me is not being able to pay rent,” she shares. “I don’t want to be on the streets with my kids. If we weren’t able to have programs like Feeding San Diego, we’d probably be in a terrible situation, looking for other places to eat. Most people, I guess their pride gets in the way. I can assure you, put your pride aside. You have your kids to feed.”