The last week of every month is always hard for Leonard Edwards, a 61-year-old veteran who lives on a fixed income of $1,500 in the Washington area.
At the best of times, he barely has anything left in the bank at the end of the month. Now, with rocketing prices in supermarkets across the country, it has become even more difficult for him to meet his nutritional needs.
“Everything is much higher,” Mr Edwards told The National. “I mean, I used to walk out of the store, spend $50, I had five bags of groceries. Now, I’ll spend $50 and I got one bag.”
Mr Edwards relies on Bread for the City, a food bank in Washington’s Shaw neighbourhood, to keep food on the table through the end of the month.
“That last week of the month is always the tightest week, and with Bread for the City’s help, I'm able to continuously eat fresh produce and fruit throughout the month,” Mr Edwards said.
But the rising price of food is eating away at Bread for the City’s ability to help those in need.
“We're not getting as many food donations from people, so that's been a huge impact,” said Kenrick Thomas, communications and events manager at the food bank.
“We're also paying a lot more now for food, which has also been an impact for our programme.”
Every year during the holidays, Bread for the City offers people a $75 debit card to help pay for meals, though this amount does not go as far as it used to.
And the nation's capital is not the only place experiencing the squeeze.
In Los Angeles, the LA Regional Food Bank reported that the number of people it serves has tripled from 300,000 to more 900,000 since the pandemic began.
This means about 10 per cent of the population of Los Angeles County is now relying on the food bank’s help every month.
The LA Regional Food Bank is one of the largest in the country and so far, it has been able to stave off the effects of inflation and rising prices thanks to its proximity to California's bountiful farms.
“Most of our food donations are from farmers and growers, and wholesalers and distributors,” said David May, director of marketing and communications at the food bank.
But many food banks in the US do not have that luxury and are being stretched to the limit this year.
This Thanksgiving is one of the most expensive on record, the American Farm Bureau Federation reported, and there are several factors at play.
“These include dramatic disruptions to the US economy and supply chains over the past 20 months, inflationary pressure throughout the economy, difficulty in predicting demand during the Covid-19 pandemic and high global demand for food, particularly meat,” said Veronica Nigh, senior economist at the bureau.
The cost for a seven kilogram Turkey this year is about $24 – a 24 per cent increase from last year.
However, the cost will not deter Mr Edwards, who said he was looking forward to cooking a turkey, but he acknowledged he will have to shop carefully.
“I don't eat what I want to eat. I eat what they put on sale," he said.
This is the new reality for millions of Americans, and if inflation keeps rising many more will face the same difficult and limited choices.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
The five pillars of Islam
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900