With rising food prices at grocery stores, local organizations say families are struggling to stay afloat – that’s why Operation Hope is holding their third annual food drive at Sherman Green in Fairfield.

"Food insecurity is a growing problem. It was not just during the pandemic when people were afraid to go out. But now with inflation and rising food costs, it's almost worse," says Helene Daly, a volunteer with Operation Hope in Fairfield.

Within just the first hour of the food drive opening today, an entire table was already filled with donations. Organizers say it just shows the amount of support the town has for the cause.

"So we're collecting a lot of toiletries items that's obviously a big need because they're expensive, you know inflation has really hurt a lot of people," says Alexis, another volunteer with Operation Hope.

Operation Hope says they provide over 150,000 meals a year to people in the area. And volunteers say with the rise in food prices, there's been an uptick in people who come routinely.

"It's a big problem. Every week, Operation Hope has a steady number of people that come routinely and get their bags of groceries," says Daly. "The generosity of people in this town is amazing."

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