‘You never wanna turn anyone away’: Food pantries feeling effects of metal tariffs
BELTON, Mo. (KCTV) - Fears surrounding tariffs on metal and their impact on the prices of canned goods are creating a ripple effect on local food pantries.
“It’s heartbreaking. You never wanna turn anyone away. You don’t feel poor when you come in here,” said Bridge Over Troubled Water cafe manager Michelle Sullivan. “You don’t feel like it’s a hand up. I mean, it’s a hand up, you don’t feel like it’s a handout. I mean, yeah, not being able to give all of the services that we are right now, that’s gonna be hard. Hopefully, we won’t, we’re not there yet.”
Everything offered at the Bridge Over Troubled Water Food Pantry is free, but it comes at a cost. They are expecting, as a result of these tariffs, that they’ll have to make tough decisions that could mean serving fewer families.
“People that at one time would come and volunteer, they would donate lots of food, those are the same people now that need food,” said Family Resource Center executive director Shay Jefferson.
The pantry’s shelves are stocked with essential items, canned goods, and farm-fresh produce. The 25 percent tariffs on metal and aluminum goods announced Monday and 10 percent tariffs on fruits and vegetables could mean emptier shelves in the coming weeks. The fresh produce and farm-fresh meat are locally sourced in Missouri, which is also expected to hit with retaliatory tariffs.
“It also may mean that instead of serving over 200 families a week, maybe we have to go down to serving more like 50 to 100 families a week,” said Jefferson.
They said it’s creating a trickle-down effect with fewer people being able to donate, which means fewer food and supplies they can buy. Families are the ones who will feel it the most just weeks ahead of spring break.
“People who were laid off and they’re still waiting to receive their severance pay, but they have families to feed and now so not only have they not received their money, the places they would turn to for help may not be able to help them,” said Jefferson.
Now, they are turning to grant funding and community donations for . According to some of these foundations, they are receiving more grant requests than ever before.
“We will continue on as needed, but I think that we also have to be prepared to be responsive in the wake of all of this turmoil that’s going on,” said Carla Gibson, Vice President of Programs at Reach Healthcare Foundation.
If there was ever a time for people to speak up and call on policymakers for change, they said the time is now and people’s lives depend on it.
“Now is the time for those with a voice to use that voice. We’ve got to make sure we’re speaking for the voiceless,” said Jefferson.
With Spring Break coming up, the pantry voiced concerns about how these tariffs will affect their ability to provide enough food for children who rely on free and reduced lunches. They hope people will feel empowered to use their voice and demand change.
More information about the Bridge Over Troubled Water Pantry can be found on Facebook.
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