By Blake Haas

BLOOMINGTON – Inflation is not only impacting the average American, but it’s hitting the hardest for people who are “food insecure.”

Normal-based Midwest Food Bank is feeling the pitch – facing a 9.1% increase in food and an increase at the pump for diesel.

Mike Hoffman, the director of logistics and inventory, noted the non-profit is fighting inflation the best it can, despite the circumstances.

“There’s still a good amount of food that we’re able to pick up; we’ve not seen donations drop off very far at this point,” he said on the afternoon show. “I think a lot of that is there’s excess because people can’t afford to buy that much anymore, so they’re kind of watching how much they buy, so that leaves additional that’s out there.”

According to Hoffman, semi-drivers are all on a volunteer basis, but diesel prices are eating through the non-profit’s bottom line.

“The budgets were shot pretty early this year on fuel, but as long as we continue to get the donations in, we’re able to continue to go get this food. It’s kept up so far, which we’re grateful for.”

This week the food bank is sending six truckloads of food to Kentucky to help with the flooding.

Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected].