KTLA

Thanksgiving dinner will be harder to put on the table for many this year amid soaring grocery prices

Volunteers at an annual Thanksgiving giveaway in Watts distribute 800 turkeys and other food items.(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Higher prices for groceries. Record gas costs. An ongoing pandemic that has meant reduced work hours for some and an inability to work for others. For many people this year, Thanksgiving dinner will be harder to put on the table.

Distribution by the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has doubled since 2019, said the bank’s president, Michael Flood. The organization estimates 1 in 4 people in L.A. County experiences food insecurity.


The average cost nationwide of meat, poultry, fish and eggs is up 11.9% over the last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average cost of dairy products is up 1.8%.

Add to that the costs of living in L.A. County, which has some of the highest housing prices in the country. According to advocacy organization United Ways of California, a family of four in the county with two adults, a preschooler and a school-age child would need to make at least $95,112 a year to meet their basic needs.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.