Food Impact Survey

"We’re a two-income household and we’ve always managed our bills. But in the last year, groceries have shot up so much that we’ve had to cut portions and stretch meals further than we ever have. There were a few weeks where my husband and I quietly ate less so our kids didn’t have to. We’ve never asked for help because we didn’t want anyone to think we were failing — but this year has been harder than we expected.”

“As a single mom, I’ve learned how to make a little go a long way, but this year I’ve run out of food before the end of the month more times than I want to admit. I work full-time, but after rent and gas, there are days when I open the pantry and just pray something will stretch far enough. I’ve skipped dinners so my daughter could have seconds. I didn’t think anyone at church would understand, so I never said anything.”

“We’re retired and living on a fixed income, and it feels like food prices are changing faster than our budget can keep up. We’ve started choosing between the foods we want and the medications we need. We often eat smaller meals or repeat the same inexpensive foods to make things last. We love our church, but we didn’t want to burden anyone with our situation.”

“We have two teenagers who eat like bottomless pits, and normally we can keep up. But this year, everything from milk to cereal to meat has doubled for us. There have been months where we couldn’t buy the snacks or lunches they needed for school, and we felt ashamed. We tried not to show how stressed we were, but the truth is, feeding a family right now is a lot harder than it used to be.”

“We’re a blended family, so our grocery needs change week to week, depending on which kids are with us. That unpredictability already makes budgeting tough, but with the rising cost of food, there have been weeks where we simply didn’t have enough. We’ve stretched meals, skipped second helpings, and relied on cheap filler foods just to get through. It’s not something we ever thought we’d struggle with.”

“We’re newly married, both early in our careers, and we thought we had a handle on our finances. But groceries have become the biggest stressor in our budget. We’ve had nights when we ate pasta three days in a row because it’s what we could afford. We never wanted to tell anyone because we didn’t want to seem irresponsible — but we’re just trying to keep up like everyone else.”