A Westport organization dedicated to fighting homelessness says it has a critical need in its food pantry as inflation pushes costs higher.

Homes With Hope's pantry at the Gillespie Center provides over 1,400 bags of groceries a year to Fairfield County families.

Pantry workers say it can be hard to keep the shelves stocked in between the holiday giving season and its first yearly food drive in April.

Pantry coordinators say rising prices are pushing more families closer to food insecurity even as their own shelves grow bare of more expensive items like canned chicken and fish.

Lunch and dinner are provided daily at Gillespie Center thanks to community volunteers.

Homes with Hope's budget is funded mainly by private donations.