Rising food costs illustrated by 2,000 vehicles waiting to pick up food in west Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Rising prices from food to fuel is leaving many of our neighbors in need. They're forced to choose between re-occurring bills and higher grocery prices.

At West Houston Assistance Ministries on Wednesday, we witnessed the growing demand first-hand. Hundreds of cars lined up for hours at their chance to get much-needed supplies.

"We haven't seen this level of intensity since the height of the pandemic. I would say it's more than double what we'd normally see. It's really extraordinary," said Mark Brown with WHAM. "Based on my analysis, this is going to continue to be a significant challenge for our community. WHAM really has a role to play for probably at least a year or maybe even a little bit longer...in terms of the extremely elevated need."

Brown said at any given event, there's between 600 and 800 people. He estimated that they served 2,000 people Wednesday.

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