I live on Long Island NY and honestly haven't seen empty shelves here. What I have noticed are some odd sales that don't follow the usual sales cycles - e.g. February is canned foood month. A large chain is running a sale on canned veggies for 77 cents a can. Odd when people generally buy fresh food in June.
Another odd one was Swift pre-seasonred ribs for $1.99/lb. With Swift closing two plants, the low price is unexpected.
Happily, I seem to have gotten through to my son (but not his wife). A blessing to have him living on the second floor of our home after my husband passed in January. He was actually talking about expanding our compost pile considering the upcoming food shortages. Sometimes they're listening when you least expect it.
So sorry about your husband. I know it’s very tough…Regarding sales, when shopping, I’m constantly surprised. At Aldi, pork is highly discounted; milk, butter and ice cream are high, Canned soup is way down - even Campbell’s brand. (Houston.)