Tough Economy Takes Its Toll

At The Food Banks

By Kaaren Valenta

Charities that give food to people in need say the demand for donations is being pushed up by a tough economy and costly housing in Connecticut.

At the FAITH Food Pantry, which operates out of St John’s Episcopal Church in Sandy Hook, demand has doubled this year, according to Doris Bulmer, one of the three volunteer co-directors.

“We’ve had a tremendous increase in clients,” she said. “Last Tuesday morning we had 15 people, representing 15 households, asking for food. Usually it would be a half dozen, maybe eight people. We are only supposed to subsidize families one time a month, so you have to wonder what they are doing the other weeks.”

This year’s postal union food drive collected only about 50 percent of what had been donated in previous years, so the FAITH Food Pantry is fortunate that local churches, especially St Rose, are so generous, Mrs Bulmer said.

Last winter the pantry was sometimes able to let people come twice each month for assistance, but that no longer is allowed.

“We can’t keep the shelves filled,” she said. “I suspect that it will be even harder as soon as summer is over.”

The food pantry is open Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings. The evening program also includes clients who have alcohol and drug problems, Mrs Bulmer said.

“It’s important to feed them, because otherwise they wouldn’t eat,” she said. “There are a lot of problems in our town but many people have blinders on. They need to wake up and smell the coffee.”

Ann Piccini, acting director of Newtown’s social services department, said the Salvation Army food pantry’s cupboards are bare, but she still has resources.

“We usually have enough food from the Postal Union food drive but it didn’t do as well this year, so our cupboards are bare,” she said. “But I can go to the Connecticut Food Warehouse in Waterbury because I have money donated from ShopRite. ShopRite gives us $250 every quarter. We’ve been getting $1,000 a year from them for four years.”

Ms Piccini said she still has half a freezer of chicken thighs supplied by the Connecticut Food Bank through a state program called “SNAPP.”

“I got beef stew, tuna, peaches, the chicken thighs, and other frozen and nonperishable items from SNAPP,” she said. “I’m waiting until the freezer is emptier before I refill it.”

Hours at the Salvation Army food bank in the social services offices in Town Hall South also have been curtailed somewhat but that is primarily because the department has fewer staff members, not because of a food shortage.

“We’re reorganizing,” Ms Piccini said. “We will be starting the fuel assistance program soon, too.”

She said the food pantry gets donations collected by Dr Henry Gellert’s office and sometimes gets bags of food from people who are moving. Health regulations prohibit the distribution of food with outdated “sell by” dates, however, so those donations have to be discarded.

For the first time in its 22-year history, Foodshare, which supplies about 300 programs in Hartford and Tolland counties, is rationing food to pantries. That policy has created a ripple effect, forcing food pantries to reduce hours or limit the amount of donated food they can give.

“We absolutely had to start putting some limit on it,’’ Foodshare President Gloria McAdam said. “The warehouse was the emptiest we’ve ever seen it.’’

Foodshare gets about 85 percent of its supplies from food companies and delivers food to local food pantries. The pantries also receive donations from individuals and community groups.

The increased need seems to be driven by rising unemployment, expensive housing, and stagnant wages.

 “The biggest problem is that rents are so high and salaries are so low,’’ said Dale Doll, director of food services at the Manchester Area Council of Churches.

Many clients, including some who have recently been laid off, say they are embarrassed to seek help, she said.

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘I used to be able to donate and now I’m coming for help,’’’ Ms Doll said. “We try to remind them someday soon you’ll be donating again.’’

A 100 percent increase in donations to the Manchester Area Council of Churches’ food pantry over the last year was accompanied by a 72 percent increase in demand, Ms Doll said. Demand increased the previous year by 35 percent.

Also, food pantries see tighter supplies in the summer because fewer major food drives are organized and children are not in schools to receive meals.

Mrs Bulmer said the FAITH Food Pantry goes to the Connecticut Food Bank, where it receives an allotment of free food but that allotment is exhausted.

“We now can buy food there at 14 cents per pound, which is still a good deal,” she said. “We purchase things like chicken, hot dogs, hamburger, orange juice, margarine, laundry and dish detergents and shampoo, which are usually not donated.”

She said the pantry also purchases food at Super Stop & Shop, which helps by providing the food at sale prices.

(Associated Press reports were included in this article.)