The official holiday season of giving may be over, but food banks, soup
kitchens and shelter, both locally and statewide, are facing
unprecedented demand for meals, as cash-strapped, struggling residents
try to survive the costly winter months.
The state’s four nonprofit food banks — which supply food to organizations around the state — recently asked the Patrick administration to increase state funding to $15 million, a $3.5 million bump from the current year’s spending. Recent cutbacks in food supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and increasing prices generally make it harder to feed the hungry, according to several advocates.
In addition, the cuts in federal fuel assistance are forcing many to choose between keeping the pipes from freezing or putting food on the table, according to officials at local charitable organizations that provide help to needy residents.
“Fuel prices have never really gone down, and we’ve seen a 33 percent cut in federal (heating) assistance across the entire North Shore,” said Lt. Jeff Brunelle of the Newburyport chapter of the Salvation Army. “We’re telling people to use their money to pay for gas and (heating costs), instead of spending it at the grocery store, and we’re offering to help them with food.”
Brunelle said that although people were very generous during the holiday season, there has been a lull afterward, just as this year’s requests for help are up. At the Salvation Army, families and individuals in distress can get a bag of nonperishable grocery items to help them get through the month and put healthy meals on the table, he said. And due to the economic stress, more and more people are doing just that.
“This year, what we haven’t seen in the past, is that people who have always regularly dropped off a monthly check or bags of groceries for the food pantry have had to ask for help themselves,” he said. “They’ve been holding their breaths for so long, hoping that things would get better, but you can only hold your breath for so long. Eventually, the credit cards are maxed out and savings are depleted.”
To keep the Salvation Army’s weekly free Wednesday lunch and Thursday dinner programs going, physical help is needed, Brunelle said. Along with items or money for the pantry, willing hands are needed to prepare the two weekly meals that feed about 100 people at each serving.
“We always get a lot of groups who call wanting to come and help prepare meals during the holidays,” Brunelle said. “But after that, it drops right off. We serve these meals twice every week. Help is needed throughout the entire year.”
The Registered Nurses of Anna Jaques Hospital are holding a food drive at two local supermarkets on Saturday for just that reason. The hospital’s nurses feel that just because the holidays are over, the spirit of giving and helping those in need should not end. They’re hoping that shoppers at Stop Shop in Amesbury and Shaw’s in Newburyport will buy a few extra items between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday and donate them.
At Amesbury’s Our Neighbors’ Table, executive director Lyndsey Haight said the group is serving almost double the number of individuals compared to in previous years.
“We had a great response for the holidays, and we’re so grateful,” Haight said. “Our shelves are stocked now, and normally, what we have would have lasted us until March or April. But (because demand is up) we’ll be out of food by February without more help.”
At Community Service of Newburyport, director Betty Leary has had a similar experience. Donations are picking up following a slow period after Christmas, but demand is rising and more is needed, she said.
“In the last year, we’ve seen more people,” Leary said. “Gas is still expensive, and food costs are higher, too.”
Although CSN doesn’t offer help paying utilities, Leary said that recently she’s spoken with people who had already gone through their heating fuel assistance allotment and had no money left to buy heating oil during the recent cold snap.
“I don’t know where some people are going to get the money (for fuel)) for the rest of the winter,” she said.
At the Salisbury-based social service agency The Pettengill House, currently the shelves are stocked, said assistant director Tiffany Nigro, but items are being depleted quickly.
“The fact is people are accessing more food pantries to make ends meet and feed themselves and their families due to rising heating and food costs,” she said. “Cutbacks in heating subsidies and SNAP (food stamp) allotments just are not covering monthly grocery needs.”
Statewide problem
What’s being seen in this region is consistent with the rest of the state and the reason for the plea for more state aid in the next budget. Between 2006 and 2010, the demand for food from food banks grew by 23 percent in Massachusetts. Some food pantries face days when they run out entirely and have to shut their doors, advocates said.
“If we don’t get more food, we will have a social problem on our hands the likes of which we haven’t seen in a while,” said Andrew Morehouse, executive director of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.
Catherine D’Amato, president and chief executive officer of The Greater Boston Food Bank, said food received under the USDA’s emergency food assistance program is down 35 percent.
“The middle class is getting wiped out and going to food pantries,” D’Amato said.
The state commissioner of agricultural resources, who oversees food assistance money, said there is not a lot of room to grow the program, because it already takes up two-thirds of the department’s $16 to $17 million operating budget.
“There is no question we are seeing more demand for those programs as a result of what is happening with the economy,” Commissioner Scott Soares said.
“I am concerned overall,” he said about federal cuts. “There are a variety of programs impacted: food programs and environmental programs. We are all in a period where we are managing to do less with less. It is a reflection of the state of the economy.”
State House News Service contributed to this report.
What’s needed
Regional food pantries need are nonperishable food items of all sorts, but especially items like jelly, mayonnaise, ketchup, pasta sauce, canned stews, hearty soups, boxed meals like Hamburger Helper and snacks that can be put in children’s lunches, such as fruit cups and juice boxes.
All officials requested donations of toiletries, which can’t be purchased with food stamps, including shampoo, soap, toothpaste and tooth brushes, deodorant, feminine hygiene products and diapers for older children. All said toilet paper is needed, as well as household products like cleaners, laundry and dish detergent, and cleaning items in general.
All said that donations by cash or checks are very welcome.
Regional Food Pantries/Soup Kitchens
Many local churches also offer food pantries and free meals programs.
Amesbury
Our Neighbors’ Table: 978-388-1907; Emergency Food Hotline, 978-835-3016; www.ourneighborstable.org.
Serving Greater Newburyport with free meals and food pantry.
Newburyport
Community Service of Newburyport: 978-465-7562, www.communityserviceofnewburyport.com.
Serving residents of Newburyport, Newbury and West Newbury
Salvation Army of Newburyport: 978-465-0883
Serving those in the Greater Newburyport area with food pantry and free meals
Salisbury
The Pettengill House; for food pantry, contact Tiffany Nigro at 978-463-8801; www.pettengillhouse.org.
Serving clients from communities throughout the lower Merrimack Valley.
Seabrook
Community Action Program of Rockingham County, Route 1, Seabrook, 603-474-3507
Seabrook Community Table, 603-474-9608 or 603-474-6529
Serving free meals for local residents three days a week.