Food costs are up $175/month – but CAC saves families $175/WEEK!

We’ve all seen it – that number at the bottom of our grocery receipt keeps getting bigger and bigger. In Georgia, grocery food prices went up 8.5% on average in the last twelve months. When you’re feeding a family of four, that difference is huge! Per the USDA on May 2021, the average price of groceries for a family on a moderate-cost plan was $261 per week; as of January 2022, that cost is now $301.50, totaling a difference almost $175 per month.

Food costs may be up $175 per month – but CAC’s food pantries can help a family save $175 per week. CAC ‘Mini-Markets’ work under a self-choice model; much like a grocery store, individuals grab a cart and select food appropriate to their dietary needs and preferences to supplement their weekly menu. After making selections for a family of four, we compared the cost of each item with equivalent items at local grocery stores. If a family of four ‘shops’ at one of our three CAC Mini-Markets, they stand to cut their grocery bill by more than half, putting over $750 per week back into their budget.

The numbers don’t lie. Feeding a family in Sandy Springs or Dunwoody has gotten more expensive, and other costs are up, as well. Rent, gas, utilities – the basics of life cost more than they did a year ago. CAC has seen a significant increase in requests for our services. In that same time period (May 2021-January 2022), CAC went from serving 630 households a month, to 846 households. That’s an increase of 34.3% in less than a year!

You can make a difference in fighting hunger in our community. Please consider donating food to our pantries; hosting a food drive in your school, neighborhood, congregation, or social club; and/or volunteering in our food pantries. The most impactful way to make a difference is to make a financial gift to CAC, as our network of food banks and community partners allow us to purchase triple the food than the equivalent at retail cost. A donation of $60 lets us help feed a family of four for a week. Let’s work together to make sure our neighbors don’t go hungry!

See more pictures from our newly-renovated food pantry and sneak a peek at what kinds of food we provide to our clients: