Limited eggs at the Community Cupboard due to high cost & demand

Glen, a volunteer, (left) and Community Cupboard staff member Alejandra Muro (right) repackage eggs for distribution. Repackaging eggs occurs every week or more to keep up with demand.

Egg prices recently reached a record high in the U.S., which many of us already know from shopping for them ourselves.

While eggs used to be an affordable, easy way to get protein, bird flu has made this dietary staple into one that’s harder to afford.

The Community Cupboard has had to reduce the number of eggs larger households can take home each month for several reasons. The cost of eggs is one, but so is the skyrocketing numbers of families coming to the Cupboard for food each month. Households of four or more people used to get two dozen eggs per month, but now all households can only take home one dozen. To keep up with demand, the Cupboard is buying about 225 dozen (2700 eggs) every 1 to 2 weeks.

“In 2024, we averaged more than $1000 a month in egg purchases,” said Food Programs Manager Rachel Bishop. “Now we’re spending that much in a single purchase.”

Cost and demand aren’t the only problems hindering the food pantry from supplying eggs to clients at the Cupboard. The entire process takes a lot of resources. A MEND staff member drives to Wenatchee and picks up the eggs, packaged in flats of 30. They bring them to the Cupboard, find the space to store them, then someone has to repack them into donated egg cartons that hold a dozen eggs. Finally, the eggs are put out for clients to take as they shop.

“It’s a trickle-down effect,” says Rachel. “Our lack of adequate storage to buy more at once, the amount of time it takes to repackage them for disbursement, keeping them stocked on the shelves—it’s all a process that takes time and staff resources that we don’t have always have.”

Fortunately, there are other options available for easy, high-protein meals. As part of an ongoing attempt to provide Cupboard clients with ideas for ways to get enough protein, Food Programs Manager Rachel Bishop recently spoke to Hannah Schons, Certified Nutritionist and owner of Firefly Integrative Nutrition. Hannah took a tour around the Community Cupboard and pointed out several other protein options available to customers instead of eggs, including beans and canned meats.

“Beans are a fantastic source of protein. They are nutrient-dense, high in fiber, and are less expensive than most other protein sources,” says Hannah. “One of my favorite lunches is to throw a can of drained beans—whatever kind you have on hand—in a pan with a little oil and garlic, onion, spinach, or whatever veggies I have on hand. Pan fry and add salt and pepper, plus spices such as cumin or curry powder, for a quick, high protein meal!”