Food pantries struggling with shortages

[spinbaby]

Source: AP

CINCINNATI - Operators of free food banks say they are seeing more working people needing assistance. The increased demand is outstripping supplies and forcing many pantries and food banks to cut portions.

Demand is being driven up by rising costs of food, housing, utilities, health care and gasoline, while food manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers are finding they have less surplus food to donate and government help has decreased, according to Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Second Harvest Foodbanks.

"I've been doing this for 20 years, and I can't believe how much worse it gets month after month," she said.

(Snip)

"We're bracing ourselves for a very tough winter, especially with home heating fuel prices at record highs in the Northeast," Quandt said. "People living in poverty or near poverty just can't sustain those types of increases."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071119/ap_on_re_us/food_pantries_shortage

[jwirr]

1. The end of the month can be a bitch. Food shelves help families

in those last days of the month.

[liberal renegade]

2. The economy sucked

while Reagan was in office, it sucked while Bush 1 was in office.

It was great while Clinton was in office and 24 hours after Bush 2 was appointed by the SCOTUS it began tumbling down.


The state of the economy sucks ass under republican rule, unless your rich..

[JerseygirlCT]

3. I'm hearing this a great deal here in CT, too

So much more than I can remember before.

And often, by this time of year, with Thanksgiving food drives happening, the cries for "help!" from the local food banks and pantries subsides for a couple of months.

That hasn't happened here. They're still in desperate trouble.

[allisonthegreat]

4. Here as well

and the liar that is in office could care less about the underprivileged and suffering. Also the homeless which is probably mounting by the hour.

[demgrrrll]

5. I gave piles of food to the boy scouts on Saturday, I don't know what

pantry they use. I haunt the thrift shops and I am noticing more and more shoppers, I mean it is as crowded as a regular mall store. Something is going on that is for sure

[area51]

6. It's the 2nd Great Depression. (n/t)

[Didereaux]

7. SCREW ;em...let 'em eat cake or get a high dollar job with Halliburton (yep thats sarcasm)