More local need creates more needs for food pantries
Posted on Thursday, April 3, 2008
It is a big warehouse full of large shelves, three freezers and a walk-in cooler. While several shelves contain food, a noticeable portion does not.
“ It’s pretty empty, ” said Judy Hammond, director of external relations for the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank that serves Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties.
The warehouse, in Bethel Heights, provides food to about 150 hunger relief agencies in the area. Providing that food is becoming tougher with a slowing economy and reduced donations, Hammond said. The food bank must spend money to truck in food to keep up with the agencies ’ needs, she said. And more people need food.
Distribution up, donations down Food distribution from the bank to the agencies went up in January by about 34 percent, February by about 68 percent, and March by about 17 percent, said Gerald Demory, the food bank’s director of agency and donor relations.
The bottom line: Distribution to the agencies is 40 percent higher this quarter than it was during the same quarter last year.
On the other side, Demory said, food donations decreased about 30 percent this quarter over the same quarter last year.
The food bank already has spent more than $ 30, 000 (a truckload of food costs about $ 30, 000 ) in 2008 to distribute items to the agencies.
About three weeks ago, Hammond said, the bank purchased a truckload of food. That product is almost gone so the food bank will have to buy another truckload in two or three weeks.
A plea for help The food bank early last month sent an appeal letter requesting food and money donations. With the appeal is another letter from the Feinstein Foundation of Rhode Island. March and April donations of food and money to the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank will be supplemented by the foundation, which for the past 11 years has provided financial help to hunger relief groups across the nation. Each year, the foundation gives $ 1 million to food banks that participate in the challenge. The more the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank raises, the bigger the portion of the $ 1 million pie it gets. This is the first year the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank is participating in the foundation’s program. Hammond said she already has received some response. Still, she said, “ it takes more and more money to run the food bank. ”
Down economy The main reason donations are down is the economy, Hammond said. “ The economy is not like it was last year, ” she said, citing higher fuel prices. It also plays a role in the need. Those fuel prices affect people’s ability to pay for everything from food to utilities, Hammond said. Food costs more, too. She said the face of the person using a food distribution center is changing. In the past, she said, a person might think about somebody who was unemployed or living on a small income going to a food pantry. “ Now what we’re seeing are two-income families that are having to utilize the food pantries because of the costs that have gone up for the fuel, housing, food, ” Hammond said. She listed the elderly and single parents as others served by the food agencies, but said it could be anybody who needs help. “ You just don’t know, ” she said. “ It might be your nextdoor neighbor that needs to have the use of a food pantry. ” Another reason for the drop-off in available food at the bank is that companies that donate excess food are becoming more efficient in producing products, she said, “ so there is less product to be donated. ”
More variety On a more positive note, the food bank is trying to offer more of a variety — boxed and canned goods, but also items such as fresh produce, Hammond said. Sam’s Club stores in Fayetteville and Bentonville are now providing the food bank with pastries and deli items, said Dan Schroeder, operations manager for the food bank. It received 75, 600 eggs from Cal-Maine in Green Forest right before Easter. That is something the food bank has never had before, Hammond said.
Post-holiday drop-off One part of the food bank’s need is a drop-off in donations after the holidays, Hammond said. “ During the holidays, people are very giving, ” she said. “ What we need to ensure that everybody understands is that the people who need our services the most are not just hungry at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The need is still there all 12 months out of the year. ”
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