December 22, 2008
Need for Emergency Aid is Increasing Rapidly, Food Banks Report
Requests for emergency food aid has escalated rapidly in the last year, according to a new survey of the nation’s food banks conducted by Feeding America, the Chicago umbrella organization that represents more than 200 food banks.
In the survey, based on data from 160 of the 205 food banks that belong to Feeding America, all of the respondents said that demand for emergency assistance has increased 29 to 38 percent this year. In a similar survey conducted last spring, food banks in the Feeding America network reported that demand for food had risen by 15 percent.
The top two reasons cited by the food banks for the growing demand for their service were the rising cost of food and increasing unemployment.
“We are seeing an increased need among middle-class people making $40,000 to $70,000 who are recently unemployed, having health problems, having difficulty managing mortgage payments, and going to soup kitchens and pantries for emergency food assistance,” wrote a survey respondent from Long Island Cares, a New York food bank.
Another official from Community Food Banks of South Dakota wrote: “When you hear a client tell you that ‘I never thought that I would have to come to the pantry to get food’ or to have someone say that ‘I used to donate to the pantry and now I am using it,’ that is when you realize how tough things are.”
Indeed, all but one or two of the food banks said that they were seeing more first-time clients this year, and 72 percent said they are unable to meet local needs without making adjustments in the amount of food they distribute — in some cases reducing the groceries they offer to those in need.
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