(Radio Iowa) – An official with an eastern Iowa food bank says demand is again rising as families seek help making ends meet, especially with tariffs forcing large companies like Walmart to raise prices. Ryan Bobst, director of the North Liberty Community Pantry, tells KCRG-TV they’ve seen a consistent, growing need since the pandemic, with demand growing even more rapidly amid the Trump administration’s fluctuating tariff policies. “About half of the families we serve are already skipping meals or reducing their food intake because of the current state of the economy,” Bobst says.

His team has already served 54,000 more pounds of food than this time last year, and they’ve seen more than 150 new families. “Families have come and signed up for services every day that we’re open. They did not envision themselves accessing a pantry just a couple weeks ago,” Bobst says. “That is the really difficult part. Families are really turning to food pantries as their last resort, that they have exhausted their savings.”

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As the need increases, pantries are asking for more donations — and more volunteers. The North Liberty agency is asking for nonperishable food items like rice and pasta, as well as eggs and meat.

This summer, pantries will partner with Johnson County Public Health to run a food insecurity assessment as they work to gauge the need.