NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Great Commission Ministries President Bishop Hanchell said the organization is facing a challenge with food expenses, and beyond that, there is a security concern with people sometimes becoming aggressive when they go to collect food.
A number of citizens voiced their concerns about their grocery store bills following price hikes over the past several weeks, telling Eyewitness News they are not satisfied with the amount of food they can buy from the store given their weekly budget.
A line formed in front of the Great Commission Ministries on Friday afternoon of people seeking to get a hot meal, Gerald Dorsett and Retisha Murphy both in line to get a quick bite before heading down the street to their home.
The couple said rent and other bills were of lesser importance because they noticed that they had to cut back on a lot of items they’d usually be able to purchase on their $100 grocery budget.
“All I can say is the price keeps going up and it looks like nothing is going down,” Dorsett said.
“Everybody in Nassau complaining about the price control and things in the shop. I went to buy some grocery and I had $80 I put back some of the things because the price was too high.” Murphy said.
Another person in line, 70-year-old Valencia described the prices in the food store as out of control. She says that although she lives off of her pension after working for 50 years, she still felt the pinch when prices went up.
The senior citizen added that she takes out a $100 budget to cover her grocery expenses, however, that doesn’t stretch the way it used to.
“What you could have get, you can’t get it anymore everything is so expensive and it’s ridiculous […] I can’t save because every month I have to go and get that.
Tyrone Bowe explained that he was trying to make do with what he had, and after being laid off he goes to the Great Commission to take advantage of the free meal.
At 54-years old, Bowe said his situation is stressful trying to maintain his vehicle and his health and be able to afford gas and groceries.
“It’s a good thing that they are increasing the pay, it help out some in a way. […] I ain’t working now so you know ya need lunch every day things slow ya see I ain’t working now so ya need lunch.”
Standing at the back of the line, pushing a stroller with her sleeping two-year-old daughter Tatiana, Maxine Johnson told Eyewitness News that she was more concerned about the livelihood of her child than herself. The high prices in the store affect her ability to get nutritious food and clean diapers for her growing child, she said, and as a 39-year-old single mother, the high prices are a blow to her budget.
“I ain’t working and I get my little coupons the end of the month so that kind of lift me a little bit, ya know, things is really tough, especially when going in these food stores ya know its [prices] so high. It would be good if they could just hold the VAT and drop the prices.”
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