Food Banks to the Rescue
Many people visiting their local food bank these days have never been there before, according to a recent story in the New York Times.
Once a crutch for the most needy, food pantries have responded to the deepening recession by opening their doors to what Rosemary Gilmartin, who runs the Interfaith Food Pantry here, described as “the next layer of people."
A 30-percent increase in demand for food bank services has even affected some of the most affluent counties. Kathleen DiChiara, of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey calls that "the canary in the coal mine."
The Department of Agriculture estimates that 36.2 million people already struggled to avoid hunger before the economic crisis. Every one of the 180 food banks included in a recent survey reported an increase of demand, and 72 percent of them weren't able to meet their community's needs.
Private companies and the U.S. government are trying to fill the void. PBS reported that Wal-Mart and Wells Fargo donated a combined $3.7 million to food banks across the country late last year. The newly passed stimulus package includes $19.9 billion for food stamp-related programs.
On his recent trip to Elkhard, Indiana, President Obama spoke about the current strains on local food banks:
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