PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – Many of us have felt the pinch at grocery stores as food prices continue to soar.
With the number of people in need continuing to grow, one local pantry is also struggling to keep up with inflation and rising prices.
Cathy Davis is the Executive Director of The Oasis Social Ministry Food Pantry. For over 25 years the private non-profit has committed to helping those in the community that are homeless, have fallen on hard times, or are just in need of a little help until their next paycheck.
“We have a client choice food pantry. we have a community kitchen that serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week,” Davis explains.
Oasis does not receive city, state, or federal funding. They rely on private donations to help others, but now Davis says they could use some help themselves.
“The food that we have on our shelves right now what you currently see will be gone by the end of the week,” Davis said.
Davis says they have been seeing the number of households they serve rise and that Oasis is having a hard time keeping up with the demand.
“Our numbers are doubling and tripling, and we are having a hard time keeping up,” Davis explained. “We were averaging 130 to 150 just households. That could be a household of one to a household of eight a month. We are now seeing roughly 150 households a week on average.”
The rise in grocery prices has also not helped Oasis. Davis says the price of eggs alone has affected them significantly.
“Those eggs were $49.95 a case when we purchased them, the last purchase I made it was $89 for that same case of eggs.”
While Davis knows something has to give, she hopes the public will be the ones giving financially so the non-profit can continue with their missing of helping those less fortunate.
“I don’t know how much longer we can continue to do that if things don’t improve simply because if we don’t have the foods to give or the foods to serve or the monies to keep our lights on, there’s not much we can do beyond that,” Davis said.
Those who would like to make a donation, visit Oasis Social Ministry’s website.
