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Food pantries try meet swelling need for help
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Friday, December 7, 2007 10:36 PM EST
Argus-Press Photo Anthony Cepak Volunteer Barbara Williamson of Durand prepares a basket of food for a family at the Loaves and Fishes food pantry in the United Methodist Church in Vernon.
The number of people asking for food at local food pantries is growing.
Volunteers agree donations to area food pantries seem to be up - which they say is normal in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
Food pantry organizers, however, say that once the holiday spirit wanes, donations of food do the same thing - while the need for items that food pantries supply is increasing.
“On the average this year, we have been feeding about 130 people a month. That's a lot,” said Terry Adams of Byron, who has been with Loaves and Fishes, now located in the United Methodist Church in Vernon, for about five or six years. “Lately, however, we've been helping about 180 people a month. I'm speechless.
“We bring in food, and it goes out the door,” she added. “The cost of everything is going up. It's no wonder people are struggling.”
The total number of people helped by Loaves and Fishes in 2006 was 1,180, and for 2007, 1,427 have been fed so far, with December figures still to be added.
Adams said donations are starting to come in for the holidays, and that is helping restock their shelves.
“We get very empty a lot, especially during the summer,” she said.
Adams sees the need growing in more ways than just numbers.
“Since this fall, we've had a few homeless people come in for food,” said Adams. “There is no shelter in Shiawassee County to help them. One couple was living in their van, and going to the park to grill their meals.”
At the American Red Cross Shiawassee Service Center, the food pantry was closed for nearly two weeks this fall because the shelves were empty.
“We served 126 families from July until September this year, 32 more families than we served in the same quarter last year,” said Carrie Hudecek, AmeriCorps volunteer with the Red Cross.
The Salvation Army is also seeing an increased number of people in need of food.
“There is a greater need now than a year ago,” said Janice Hathon, intake specialist for the Owosso Citadel. “Our food requests have slowly worked their way up, and we're not getting the food coming in like we have in the past.”
Connie Austin, administrative assistant at Corunna United Methodist Church, which operates a food pantry for the Corunna Ministerial Association, has also seen an increase in need.
Austin said in 2006, the pantry helped just under 900 people. Pantry volunteers expect to help many more than that this year.
Donations drop off after Christmas until about Easter, she added, when some donations start coming in again.
Shirley Shaw, a volunteer who works with Perry, Morrice, Shaftsburg Emergency Relief, operating out of Perry City Hall, said pantry volunteers there expect to distribute more than 100 Christmas boxes this year, an increase over last year.
“The need is just tremendous,” she said, “not only in our food banks locally, but everywhere in the state of Michigan.”
Food pantry volunteers see rising costs and a tough economic climate as factors leading rising requests for food.
“It's going to get worse before it gets better,” said Hathon, of the Salvation Army.
