Seattle nonprofits feel the pinch of rising food prices as Thanksgiving approaches

Americans will be forking out more for Thanksgiving meals this year as the cost of food continues to rise.

Meats, along with poultry and fish, are up more than 5%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonprofit organizations are not immune from the high costs.

Peter Seith is board president of Community Lunch on Capitol Hill, a nonprofit that provides hot meals for people in need. He says demand for their meals has grown so much that the program is tapping into their reserve funds.

“We’re lucky that we’ve had extremely good stewardship over many years that we have had financial reserves that we can eat into,” Seith said. “But that is unsustainable in the long term.”

Seith says most of their financial support comes from grants, city funds, and donations.

Community Lunch will continue its yearly tradition of offering Thanksgiving meals, serving turkey, cranberry, and some sides. In the past, Community Lunch has hosted more than 150 people for Thanksgiving. But Seith anticipates more people this year.

"People think that only unhoused people come over," he said, "but we have a lot of financially insecure and people facing food insecurity."

Other Seattle organizations offering Thanksgiving meals include New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, Bread of Life Mission, and St. James Cathedral.