A food pantry network serving hundreds of thousands of families across the Midwest has abruptly shut down. Ruby’s Pantry, which operated 87 locations in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin, announced on Tuesday that it was ending its operations immediately.
The organisation helped more than 300,000 families each year. In a statement, Ruby’s Pantry said it had been “thoughtfully realigning” its work and structure, but ultimately decided to cease operations effective immediately. A separate statement to Minnesota Public Radio cited a lack of financial sustainability as the reason for the closure.
Founded 24 years ago, Ruby’s Pantry distributed about 242,000 bundles of food last year, with the help of around 17,500 volunteers annually. Families could pay $25 for bundles of groceries and other necessities worth up to $100.
Shaye Moris, president and CEO of Second Harvest Northland, a food bank serving Minnesota and Wisconsin, expressed concern about the impact of rising food prices on families. “Going to the grocery store is more expensive. [People ask] ‘How do I feed my family?’ We've got seniors on fixed incomes, and now we've had more recent SNAP changes,” she told Minnesota Public Radio. “So that's almost creating the perfect storm, along with Ruby's Pantry not being available, that there's going to be a need for more food access.”
According to a Pew Research Center survey in February, 66 per cent of U.S. adults said they are “very concerned” about the cost of groceries and other consumer goods. The ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran, now in its second month, may further drive up grocery prices, as the Middle East is crucial to the global supply of nitrogen fertiliser, according to Forbes.
