In Tampa, Florida, a food bank is giving away what they’re calling “paper turkeys” — gift cards — instead of real turkeys. In Colorado Springs, Colorado, one food bank doesn’t have cranberry sauce or stuffing. In Alameda County, California, another is swapping out turkey for chicken.

This holiday season, food banks across the United States are struggling to fill their shelves due to supply chain issues, labor shortages, price inflation, and the effects of climate change on our food systems.

“What happens when food prices go up is food insecurity, for those who are experiencing it, just gets worse,” Katie Fitzgerald, chief operating officer of Feeding America, told the Associated Press. Feeding America is the largest food relief organization in the country and works with more than 200 food banks.

The strain on food banks and pantries started at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. As farms, production lines, and shipping systems shut down or operated with limited labor, food production and availability declined. This coincided with a jump in food insecurity as America’s workers were laid off. But now, more than a year and a half into the crisis, despite the rebounding economy and vaccinations, the shortages persist. Experts warn the food crisis will likely continue well past the holidays — and some community pantries are saying they won’t be able to keep up.

“I’ve been with the food bank for 16 years, and I’ve always seen the supply up and down, up and down, up and down,” Peter Del Toro, director of the First Step Food Bank in Marion County, Florida, told the Ocala Star-Banner, “but I’ve never seen it like this.”

Read the full article about food bank insecurity by Jena Brooker at Grist.