Atlanta food banks prepare for increased fall and winter demands to feed families

September 19th, 2022

Teshia Elliott works to sort food items in the Atlanta Food Bank’s Hunger Action Center Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in College Park, Georgia.

John Bazemore / AP Photo

Food banks in metro Atlanta are still feeling the pressure of rising food costs as they prepare for the fall and winter seasons

Groups like Hosea Helps and Emmaus House food pantry say they are seeing more requests for food from families in the area.

Adam Seeley says there are plenty of resources available at Emmaus House, but the number of people they can help is limited.

“Our appointments fill up about as soon as we can open them up for each week, so it’s pretty tough right now,” he said.

Hosea Helps is a bigger food distributor on the south side of Atlanta.

The charity’s CEO, Elisabeth Omilami, hopes the demands will decrease since kids are back to school, but some parents may still need help when they can’t afford groceries or school lunches.

“It’s just very concerning how these families are going to make it through this fourth quarter. They’re still feeling the burn in their pockets,” she said.

Both organizations intend to continue feeding families, but Hosea Helps says the food bank has to find ways to keep its expenses down to continue its distribution.