Ed Booth holds up one of the Purple People feeder bags in Chico, California, Friday, May 31, 2024. (Jake Hutchison/Enterprise Records)
CHICO — As food prices steadily rise, many local food pantries are struggling to stay stocked.
Butte County has a well-developed network of food-sharing services, but some have noticed an increase in need recently.
“We know that over the last six months, the numbers at food pantries have been extremely high due to rising food prices,” said Addie Walsh, nonprofit partnerships manager for the Butte County Community Action Agency.
Walsh works with the 530 Food Rescue Coalition, a partnership project between Community Action Agency and Chico State University’s Center for Healthy Communities.
The 530 Food Rescue Coalition specifically works with businesses and community organizations to collect food that would otherwise be thrown away. The organization has been collecting food for about two and a half years and has collected nearly 380,000 pounds of food to date.
“From what we’re hearing, we’re seeing a significant increase,” Walsh said. “We’re working with 65 nonprofits to send food, and nearly all of them have let us know and asked if there’s anything else they can get. Some of our food bank partners are struggling to keep food on their shelves.”
Walsh said the collection mainly comes from restaurants, cafes, schools and farms.
Other food collection groups are starting up as well. Coldwell Banker real estate salesman Ed Booth and his wife, Shanna Booth, recently launched Purple People Feeder, a bag-collection system that collects food for those in need.
The idea, Booth said, was to work in conjunction with the Chico Food Project, which collects blue bagged feed six times a year. Booth said the goal is to collect purple bags during the months that the Chico Food Project doesn’t cover.
“My wife and I are pretty committed to this cause and we decided to try and fill that gap through this,” Booth said.
Booth said the first collection was in May when Purple People Feeder received 103 pounds of food.
“Now we want to expand because we really think there’s a demand,” Booth said. “When I talk to people who have visited the food lockers, they tell me that as soon as they restock the shelves, they’re already pretty much empty. That’s painful for me to think about.”
Booth said anyone who wants to get involved with the Purple People Feeder Project can call him at 530-433-4303. Remaining pickup dates for Purple People Feeder bags are July 20th, Sept. 21st and Nov. 16th.
Additionally, North State Food Bank has two more drive-thru food distribution events scheduled for June, with the next event being held from 10 a.m. to noon on June 21 at Biggs Community Hall, 280 B St. in Biggs, and the second from 10 a.m. to noon on June 28 at Pines Baptist Church, 14098 Skyway in Magalia.
As for 530 Food Rescue, Walsh said people interested in volunteering can download the app, which is available in the Apple Store and other web store services. Walsh added that food businesses wanting to donate excess inventory can contact the coalition at 530-285-5757.
“There’s a big conversation going on right now about reducing food waste,” Walsh said, “and I think people can contribute by reducing food waste in their homes by buying less or sharing with neighbors, and by learning about the food waste issue and knowing it’s happening with about 13 percent of the county facing food insecurity.”
