Food Banks Struggle

To Feed Influx Of Newcomers

BRIDGEPORT (AP) — Donations to food banks, soup kitchens, and other agencies have dropped just as scores of new visitors are seeking help to feed their families, according to directors of several local organizations.

“Some days, we don’t have enough,” said Lucretia Sanabria, a volunteer at the Inglesia Pentecostal El Olivar Food Pantry in Bridgeport. “If people are late, sometimes they’ll leave with a little bag of rice.”

At that food pantry and others, organizers say lines have grown and donations of food and money have dwindled in the past year. The agencies also face higher energy bills, gas prices, and other expenses.

Carla Weston, a Salvation Army social worker who runs its Bridgeport food pantry, said the regular visitors are now joined by many new faces. About 80 people came to the facility last month for food, she said.

“That’s unheard of for one month,” Weston said. “Everybody is really having tough times right now.”

Other agencies throughout greater Bridgeport say they also are seeing an influx in new customers.

United Way 211, which provides information about area services, gave 804 referrals to food pantries in the region during the first six months of 2008. During that period last year, there were 586 referrals.

The tight economy has blurred the line between who is needy and who isn’t, said Nancy Carrington, executive director of the Connecticut Food Bank in East Haven. The bank provides food to more than 650 soup kitchens, shelters, food pantries, and other programs throughout the state.

Ms Carrington said many people were just getting by before gas and utility prices went up. Now, they cannot make ends meet, may be dealing with job losses, and seek help anywhere it is available.

Donations from food manufacturers also have decreased as the industry has become more vigilant about preventing excess production, Ms Carrington said.