Food Bank Shelves Going Bare At Holidays

High Living Costs Hurting Donations, While Increasing Demand By Needy Families

(CBS/AP)  The reports from across the country are dismaying: Food pantries are running short and cannot meet the needs of all those seeking help.

In the Department of Agriculture's most recent study of hunger in America, released in November, more than 35.5 million Americans, including 12.6 million children, were found to have "low" or "very low food security" (defined as households where hunger was prevalent, where there was not enough money to buy adequate food supplies, where food purchased did not last, or where family members had to cut down or skip meals - sometimes not eating for a day or longer).

That's roughly 1 in 9 households. And the numbers are rising from last year.

Everywhere, people are feeling the crunch of rising gasoline and grocery prices, as well as utility bills, rent and mortgage payments.

Those factors also are cutting into people's ability to donate to food banks for others in need.

"Not only can they not give, many - for the first time - have need and are coming to us," says Melissa Temme, a spokeswoman for The Salvation Army, where stories like that of the overflow at the Johnson County Family Lodge in Kansas are becoming increasingly common.

Last year, 4.8 million Americans got holiday assistance from the Salvation Army, everything from meals and clothing to gifts. It is too early to tell if those numbers will go up this year. But while her organization generally sees a surge in giving of gifts and money right before Christmas, Temme says she has sensed a general unease among staff about the level of need that is out there.

Others say the same.

"This isn't a holiday shortage, per se. This is a shortage that's been building," says Ross Fraser, a spokesman for America's Second Harvest, a domestic hunger-relief organization based in Chicago. At Thanksgiving, the organization estimated that food banks nationally were short a total of 15 million pounds of food, or roughly 11.7 million meals.

Since then, his agency has heard about recent shortages at food banks, from New York, Illinois and Tennessee to Texas and California. One food bank in Dallas reports having to spend $100,000 a month buying food, because of declining donations of excess food from grocery stores and farmers through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"I don't think anybody ever thought food banks would be going out and buying food," Fraser says.

One food bank in Orlando, Florida, he says, told of a single mother who was forced to get food donations because her income as a real estate agent fell from $66,000 last year to just $18,000 this year, due to slumping housing sales.

CBS's Nashville affiliate WTVF reports that at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, while donations are not down, more people are asking for help.

These days it's hard to keep the pantry stocked at the St. Luke's Community House in West Nashville.

"When you see empty, empty shelves, that means there are empty stomachs in this neighborhood," development director Chris Sanders told WTVF.

This makes life even harder for the families who depend on the food pantry.
"The combination of more people coming in plus less food available is really causing us, in some cases, to have to give smaller food baskets," Sanders said.

With rising costs, the working poor face uncomfortable decisions, said Marina Falzone, director of marketing and communications at America's Second Harvest. "They have to make a choice: do I heat my home for my family, do I purchase food, or do I purchase gas to go to work?"
Grocery stores are helping to make giving easier, by selling pre-made food bundles which shoppers can buy and donate.

Rebecca Wagner, executive director of Community Ministry of Montgomery County, Maryland, also has seen the need for emergency aid growing among the working poor.

"Before they were cobbling together three and four jobs to make ends meet," Wagner says. "Now that utility bill is a backbreaker."

She has been encouraging donors to make pledges beyond the holiday season - for instance for utility bills and rent next year.

"Toys and bags of oranges only go so far when you can't keep your heat on," Wagner says. But, she adds, families always appreciate the help at the holidays, too.

"All of it helps," she says.

Some solutions are more creative. CBS's Odessa, Tex. affiliate KOSA reports that the Andrews County Library is accepting donations of canned foods in lieu of library late fines.

And avenues for making donations are increasing. For example, there is a Facebook group, and affiliated Web page at Do Something, with a goal of reaching 1 million donated canned goods.

[neobrian-2009]

Jowand,..Your best post ever

[mcvet]

We can all ask for free food ,however most desire to work for a life.How did they ever bump the head to miss all the fruits of a good job from dishwashing to flying it''''s all good,yet here they are depending on begging,seen at the malls ,spare some changes? poor ,poor,poor Things get a job,oh, you have one begging,poor things.


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Posted by beehive21 at 07:24 PM : Dec 23, 2007
+ report abuse

You Nazi''s are disgusting people that''s for sure. You not only aren''t concerned enough to actually research the issue and find out that the VAST majority of those seeking help HAVE a job, they just can''t earn enough at it to pay for food, clothing and shelter. But then what would that matter to you Bushies? You don''t care and never have. Sieg Heil Bush!!

[mcvet]

How much of your income do you give away to others in need? Most all of the inner city rescue missions are run by religious organizations. How many aetheist, or agnostic organizations do you know that operate a rescue mission?



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Posted by jowand at 05:48 AM : Dec 25, 2007
+ report abuse

Why do you Nazi''s always do this. It''s always someone else''s fault that American''s can''t find a job or earn enough to put food and clothing on the table. It''s more important to you that we have an Amendment against G-a-y-s than voting for someone who will try to have policies that allow an American Worker to earn enough in a week to provide for his/her family. You freaks aren''t just disgusting, you are lower than low! Sieg Heil Bush!!

[jowand]

Land of plenty for the corrupt government, political thieves, and arrogant decietful law enforcement establishment. Fellow christian, you should read the current newspapers, you sound very stupid. Your convictions and believes were true, let see a century ago.
Posted by mcv57 at 12:00 AM : Dec 24, 2007

How much of your income do you give away to others in need? Most all of the inner city rescue missions are run by religious organizations. How many aetheist, or agnostic organizations do you know that operate a rescue mission?

[disabledinmd]

On a limited income (under $800 mo)being disabled, I didn''t qualify for any assistance in my county. Yes, I survive but probably not like you do.

[motherhen11]

Couldn''t even give her dog a bone. That Hubbard woman...

[mcv57]

USAyesterday, born under a rock?
Land of plenty for the corrupt government, political thieves, and arrogant decietful law enforcement establishment. Fellow christian, you should read the current newspapers, you sound very stupid. Your convictions and believes were true, let see a century ago.

[beehive21-2009]

One more item,Americans don''t look thin they need to go w/o food,for awhile,obesity is killing everyone in the good old USA.

[beehive21-2009]

We can all ask for free food ,however most desire to work for a life.How did they ever bump the head to miss all the fruits of a good job from dishwashing to flying it''s all good,yet here they are depending on begging,seen at the malls ,spare some changes? poor ,poor,poor Things get a job,oh, you have one begging,poor things.

[usayesterday]

In the United States... the land of plenty (if not the land of excess)...

...no human being within this country, legally or illegally, should go hungry or starve. Those who are needy/hungry should receive food... no questions asked.

It is the primary directive of humanity... and GOD!

Nobody who calls themselves a Chrisitan (or any other religion) will disagree. Those who are not (a Christian) would.

[cyberus-2009]

I give bulk staple items to the food bank .. a different bank from previous years however.
After seeing a couple that had spent most of the previous Saturday afternoon drinking and playing keno (lottery) at the restaurant/bar that I work at walking out of my previous donation destination with bags of groceries I switched to another food bank that requires registration and qualification.

[vet_sk]

We could feel about everyone with the money we could save if federal employees could save a little money and get the cheapest fairs like they want to. Instead, they are bound by buying the most expensive tickets available. Embarrassing.

[rmsdm4]

ok, the real estate agents who''s income fell from 66K to 18K can''t afford food! Wah wah, should''ve saved some of that money. That is the problem today, people don''t save. I bet her kids have Wii''s, and psp''s. I guess cbs would not dare ask if people are buying more off the shelves.

[omega39-2009]

Is it trickling down yet?

[usayesterday]

Every time I go to the grocery store, I buy an extra can of soup, an extra can of vegetables, an extra package of Ramen noodles. As I build up a box of these extra cans/packages of non-perishable food... I then bring the box to my local food bank.

It is totally easy to do and easy to afford (for most). An extra $1 to $2 of food on each shopping trip adds up to a box full of food for donating after a few weeks to a few months. If more and more people did this... the shelves at the food banks would be far less bare!

[rudy654-2009]

Posted by katocat2 at 07:44 PM

Just wait until the little racist starts blaming the Jews.

[mcv57]

oh, yeah, forgot to mention that the federal government corruption does not exactly help the proficiency of feeding the poor (state and federal officials are robbing you blind). Its really that bad.

[mcv57]

underdogus,

I really doubt a Great Depression. Only exception is that Social Security and state welfare go bankrupt. I believe the storage is due to the miscarrage of federal government administration - it is total out of touch with efficiency.

[walt1944-2009]

I do so love hearing the "HAVES" telling the "HAVE NOTS" what they should do to survive. The "HAVES" are quick to say that the poor get all sorts of tax credits, there are all kinds of jobs out there, the poor are lazy and cheating the government.

Isn''t there a story in the New Testament where Jesus tells the hypocrite Pharisees to take the "wooden beam out of their eye, before trying to remove the dust specks from someone elses"???

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!

[barbaraf4]

All of these at or below poverty line families (except illegals, of course) will get several $1,000 in earned income credits when they file taxes for this year. Now I realize this is a windfall; however, if you put it in the bank and budget carefully, using it to supplement your normal income, it will last past the weekend you receive it.