Demand for food up while donations are down

The people who take care of feeding those who don’t have enough, say they’re having a difficult time meeting the need.

Vicki Sieber-Benson – “We had about a six percent increase in need, and at the same time we’ve had a 17-percent drop off in food donations and a 30-percent drop off in cash donations.”

Vicki Sieber-Benson is the board president for Florence Food Share.  She says the demand for emergency food boxes is still on the rise.

Vicki Sieber-Benson – “We’re having all kinds of customers that we wouldn’t have had in previous years, people who have lost their jobs and are finding that they have to come to us to, you know, supplement their food so that they can pay the rent; or pay the light bill.”

Each month the emergency food box pantry provides assistance to 600 area families.  That number has grown, while the age of recipients has gone down.

Vicki Sieber-Benson – “I mean and that’s households, not individuals. Of that, 33 percent of, a full third of, the people we serve are kids under the age of 18.

Sieber-Benson says the next formal fund raiser isn’t scheduled until early December… in the meantime, cash donations as well as food donations can be dropped off at the agency at 2190 Spruce Street… money can be mailed to Post Office Box 2514.