Feature: "It's very hard to survive" – In the U.S., the cost of living pushes more families toward food banks
Food, gasoline, bills… everyday expenses increasingly weigh on American household budgets. In Texas, near Dallas, queues at food banks are lengthening. And Tuesday’s mid‑term elections bring no hope of change.
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Americans vote on Tuesday, November 3, for the midterm elections. A first major electoral test for Donald Trump since his return to the White House. He built part of his campaign two years ago on the promise of lowering prices.
But today, between food, gas and bills, the cost of living still strangles many American families. In Texas, some people have no choice but to turn to food banks. Also read: Report "I exclude nothing": for the midterms, young Republicans in doubt about their support for Donald Trump In front of this food bank, in the suburbs of Dallas, there is already a long queue.
The center will open soon and people all have an empty blue shopping cart in their hands and they are just waiting for one thing: to fill it so they can eat. “We have 72,000 households registered to come get food here,” explains Karen Belknap, who is a pastor. “About 2,000 families come every day.
" Karen, the pastor, in the food bank. (FARIDA NOUAR / FRANCEINFO / RADIO FRANCE) She has noticed an increase in registrations in recent months: "We probably have 50, sometimes even 100 new families arriving per day. When they have paid their rent and the bills, they no longer have money for food.”
“Some families had never even set foot in a food bank. Those who got by before are no longer getting by.”Karen, pastor on franceinfoBefore the opening, Karen shows what is going to be distributed.
Everything is in a large room and it is organized in a circuit with large boxes. “Our specialty,” she emphasizes, “is fresh produce, for the health of the beneficiaries. I have broccoli, salads, superb pears, kiwis, potatoes, green beans...
"Everything is becoming very expensive in America and salaries remain the same" The doors open at 9:30 a.m. Claudia, at reception, scans the beneficiaries' registration cards. There is a small jar next to her to make a donation.
Karen explains that some people slip in a dollar so they don't feel like they're getting free food. The distribution is going quite quickly. Mark already has his shopping cart filling up.
“I'm going through difficult times,” he confides. “Everything we receive here helps us move forward. Everything continues to increase, food, fuel, everything becomes very expensive in America and salaries remain the same.
You know, now you really have to make choices: it's either food, or the hospital, or paying a bill." He admits that, without these distributions, he would skip meals. People collect food.
(FARIDA NOUAR / FRANCEINFO / RADIO FRANCE) A lady arrives, she is dressed in an “America Fighter” t-shirt and is pushing a cart full of fruits and vegetables. “I'm trying to survive. These are basics that a family needs.
Machine-translated from French
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- Franceinfo3 Nov, 06:47
| Publisher Franceinfo (established tier) | +76 |
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