PERRY, Iowa —

Every Thursday, the Perry Emergency Food Pantry opens its doors to the public for about three hours. But according to the people who run it, this Thursday was different.

"I'm thirsty right now," Lois Hoger, the pantry's volunteer coordinator, said just moments after the last customer left. "I could use a cup of coffee."

The demand isn't just increasing — it's breaking records.

"We have 166 individuals today, 53 households." Lou Hoger said, counting the tallies of each person who walked through the door. "After experiencing today, I would say that probably 100 and probably 55 would be our limit that we could do with this model."

While it's impossible to know exactly why every person comes in, he said rising prices and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit spee

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