Americans Cut Back on Holiday Food Donations Due to Inflation, Study Reveals

In 2022, nearly half of Americans said they were more likely to donate to food banks during the holiday season but this year it’s just 25 percent.

A staff member at Food Bank of the Rockies stocks boxes of food in their warehouse to be distributed to people in need ahead of Thanksgiving in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 25, 2020. Kevin Mohatt/Reuters

Americans are cutting back on charitable food donations this holiday season, with a new study showing that the top reason for the pullback in generosity on Thanksgiving and ahead of Christmas is inflation.

High prices in general (and of groceries in particular) are having a significant impact on the willingness of Americans to donate food during the 2023 holiday season, according to the study released on Nov. 20 by technology company Divert, Inc., which focuses on food waste reduction.