Food insecurity affects all Rhode Island communities

Do you know where your next meal is coming from? Are your pantry and refrigerator stocked? Not everyone can answer those questions positively. Food insecurity impacts people of all backgrounds and is on the rise in Rhode Island, impacting 34% of households in Rhode Island according to 2025 survey data from RI Life Index.

“Like all communities, the Jewish community is struggling with a decrease in federal funding including federal budget cuts, for a while the complete cessation of SNAP and also an increase in the cost of living,” said Emily Gaudreau, director, Community Advocacy and Engagement at the Jewish Alliance. “We’re just squishing the middle.” Add into the mix the rising fuel and prescription drug prices and people’s budgets are taking an enormous hit. Food-at-home prices are predicted to increase 3.2%, according to the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“At Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS), we are here to help everybody, and through our food insecurity programs, we serve people of all backgrounds, all denominations,” said Kristina Contreras Fox, donor steward, at Jewish Collaborative Services. “We are also the only social service agency to directly serve the Jewish community.”

JCS runs two food pantries, one that is open to the public at its headquarters at 1165 North Main St., Providence. There is also one in Warwick at Shalom Apartments, a housing development it manages. It also manages the state’s only kosher meal site and delivery program, partnering with Meals on Wheels to do so.

Food insecurity is defined as not knowing where your next meal is coming from. “You don't have consistent access to fresh, healthy, nutritious food and you're hungry!” explained Contreras Fox. “Something like 80% of the people we serve through the pantry and meal sites keep kosher. For folks who keep halal, our pantry also meets those standards. If you're not familiar with these traditions, or if it's not your tradition, people might think, ‘alright, well, you're hungry, like, does it matter?’ Yes, it does! Very, very, very, very much.” Of the 15 unique programs run by JCS, one-third of those are related to food insecurity and hunger.

“The gulf between what people are bringing home, and what it costs to just live keeps widening and widening while all of the programs and federal funding are being taken away,” said Contreras Fox. “This is just a recipe for more and more people needing to go to pantries.”

That’s just what Cindy Montoya, deputy director at Progreso Latino, is seeing – a larger than average influx of new clients to the food pantry. “On average, we would get maybe 10 to 12 new clients per week, and now we're seeing 25 to 30 new clients per week,” Montoya explained. “We're also seeing an uptick in numbers of clients that maybe haven't been here for months or haven’t used our food pantry services in over a year; they're returning and that number is 30 to 40.”

The Progresso Latino food pantry really expanded during COVID, from a “closet-sized room” to a whole operation of 20 to 25 people, that rents space in a nearby hall, according to Montoya. The food pantry doesn’t require any documents or proof of income, just an ID. The pantry is stocked with culturally appropriate food like cassava and plantains to ensure it is meeting the needs of the families the agency serves.

Progresso Latino also offers nutrition classes and a food pantry support group that meets at 9 a.m., an hour before the pantry opens. “We use this as a point of community for different clients to be able to meet together and . . . know they're not alone,” said Montoya. “It's also that servant leadership and that community piece of where, you know, maybe there's someone in that support group that may have an answer or a resource.”

The Jewish community faces unique barriers when it comes to accessing resources. “Like all communities, we’re economically diverse . . . there are lots of low-income, middle-income Jews,” said Gaudreau. “There’s still the perception that all Jews are very affluent and all Jews are very educated and . . . very successful. Which I think sometimes means that the community does not get the same amount of attention around their food insecurity.”

The Kosher Food Pantry is a small but welcoming space, with the typical canned foods, a variety of matzah, numerous Manischewitz products for baking, seed packets for people to bring home and plant, even a toddler shopping cart. People make an appointment for the Kosher Food Pantry. “People don't feel rushed, there's some privacy,” said Contreras Fox, “They can shop at their leisure and pick what they want.”

Contreras Fox pointed out how dire the need is: “Last year when SNAP and WIC went offline during the government shutdown, there were folks who came to the pantry, at that point we were open every day, and there were people who shared that they hadn’t eaten for four days.”

There are several bills currently under consideration that would combat food insecurity in Rhode Island. From Gov. Dan McKee’s website, the Governor’s proposal would increase that State’s support from $1 million to $2 million. Of this funding, $250,000 will support community food organizations across Rhode Island, helping expand the reach of efforts to address food insecurity. There's also a bill, H7401 (Joint Resolution LC004262), to allocate $75,000 to JCS.

“Reach out to your local state rep and state senator,” urged Contreras Fox. “We have such power as voters in Rhode Island because of how small the state is and how small the voting districts are. It really, really makes an impact. The one thing every single elected official is doing every day, no matter their ideology, is they're all running for re-election. Terms are only two years. When you reach out, people pay attention.”

For those struggling with food insecurity, the first place to look is Rhode Island Community Food Bank where people can find a list of food pantries and find one in their neighborhood or that matches their schedule or dietary preferences. There’s also an interactive map on its website and answers to frequently asked questions.

“There's enough food, and there's enough money,” said Contreras Fox, “The biggest lie in politics is that there's not enough money. There's absolutely enough money. It depends on the will to spend it, and how those in charge want to spend it.”

IF YOU NEED HELP

Kosher Food Pantry

401-331-1244

Rhode Island Community Food Bank

401-942-6325

MORE WAYS TO HELP

Tours of the JCS Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry are available for people interested in learning about the food insecurity programs and how they can support. To schedule a tour, contact Kristina Contreras Fox kristina@jcsri.org | 401-415-8226.

Attend Progresso Latino’s Annual Gala

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/progreso-latino-49th-annual-gala

Go gleaning with Hope’s Harvest

https://www.farmfreshri.org/programs/hopes-harvest/

Volunteer

https://rifoodbank.org/volunteer/

Host a Food Drive

https://rifoodbank.org/donate-food/

SARAH GREENLEAF (sgreenleaf@jewishallianceri.org) is the digital marketing manager for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and writes for Jewish Rhode Island.