Food insecurity growing in region, food banks report
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Intermediate Unit 1 brought student volunteers to the Greater Washington County Food Bank on Wednesday to pack Little Moochie boxes that contain healthy snacks for students in Washington and Greene counties. The food bank is in need of volunteers as food insecurity in the region grows.
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Photos: Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has seen a surge in the number of families in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, who are turning to the food bank to provide food for their families.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A volunteer at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank packs a box containing fresh and shelf-stable foods.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Patti Sabo, lead pantry coordinator for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s Allenport pantry, prepares for the pantry’s October food pickup. The pantry has experienced a surge in families who are food insecure.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Greater Washington County Food Bank is experiencing an increase in the number of families who are turning to the food bank to put meals on the table.
Courtesy of Greater Washington County Food Bank
Greater Washington County Food Bank workers fill the trunk of a car with food at a food distribution last October.
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has seen a huge increase in the the number of families in southwestern Pennsylvania, including Washington, Greene and Fayette counties, who are turning to the food bank to provide food.
More and more people overwhelmed by inflation are turning to local food banks to help feed themselves and their families.
With grocery costs soaring along with utilities and gas prices, food banks also are seeing an increase in the number of people who are seeking food assistance for the first time.
“With school being back, we’re getting a lot of first-timer young families,” said George Omiros, president and CEO of Greater Washington County Food Bank. “The Greater Washington County Food Bank has seen a jump in the number of people who need its services for the first time.”
Among Washington, Greene and Fayette counties served by Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Greene County saw the biggest jump in new families reaching out for help with a 52% increase of first-time visitors from August to September of this year.
The cost of food has risen 11.4% between August 2021 and August 2022, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index report.
“Compared to last year, we are seeing an 82% increase in calls for help with food. Between inflation and heating costs, people are telling us that they are making more extreme choices to afford food. Seniors are telling us that they are totally skipping doctor appointments and choosing not to refill prescriptions to save money,” said Chris West, director of community connections for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. “We’re not only connecting people to food for immediate relief. We’re also connecting them to community resources beyond food to help with the other concerns they have.”
In August, the Greater Washington County Food Bank served 7,000 families, an increase from 6,000 in July.
Omiros expects that upward trend to continue.
“Higher rents in Washington County and a lack of affordable child care often leaves little room in a family’s budget,” Omiros said.
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, which serves 11 counties – including Washington, Greene and Fayette – has seen a 33% total increase in the amount of food distributed when comparing September 2021 to September 2022. In September 2022 alone, the organization distributed nearly 3.3 million pounds of food. Most of this food has been distributed by pantries that are saying they’re seeing more families than ever before. At the organization’s Allenport pantry, the number of families served jumped from 80 in June to 120 in October.
“And I think it’s going to continue to go up over the holidays and winter,” said Patti Sabo, Allenport’s lead pantry coordinator.
During its monthly distribution Oct. 24, cars lined up outside the pantry doors more than 2 1/2 hours before the 1 p.m. pickup.
Harry Jones of Stockdale sat inside his vehicle and read a newspaper and sipped on coffee while he waited.
“This helps me tremendously,” said Jones, a retired truck driver. “Everything is getting so expensive, and I’ve been counting on this every month.”
Omiros said single mothers, seniors, and children are the three groups who most depend on food assistance programs.
The number of seniors who receive senior citizen boxes through the Washington and Pittsburgh food banks has skyrocketed.
Last year, for example, GWCFB distributed 400 boxes a month for seniors. Now, the food bank is handing out about 1,200 boxes a month.
At Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, the number of families that include children younger than 17 years old has increased 16% from August to September; during that same time period, the number of seniors relying on the food bank has climbed more than 13%.
“Food banks used to provide emergency food assistance, but they have become a regular source of food for low-income people,” Omiros said.
The growing number of food-insecure children is a worry for local school districts.
At Bethlehem-Center School District, all students receive free meals through the Community Eligibility Program for children in low-income areas. Superintendent Donald McFann said the no-cost lunches ensure students are getting one hot meal a day – important for their physical, mental, and academic well-being.
“In addition to other challenges, with the elimination of universal free lunches, some families in Washington County are struggling to afford food for their kids right now. Schools are asking us for help filling the gap to keep kids fed,” said Karen Dreyer, Director of Child Nutrition Programs at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. “Despite the challenges, schools and community sponsors are working hard to address the food needs of families in the county, and we are doing our best to help them meet that need.”
Melanie Wolfe, Director of Operations at Community Circle Food Pantry in Washington, said the number of families seeking help from the pantry has more than doubled in the past year, and her pantry is serving as many as 400 families a month.
The pantry is open three days a week – Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon – and Wolfe is working to open an additional day to meet demand.
“We’re continuing to see an increase in the number of families who need us. We have people coming in weekly who normally wouldn’t,” said Wolfe. “I’m not giving out caviar, I’m giving out basic food staples, and if people are coming more than once a month, they’re hungry and they need it. I’m not going to let people go without food.”
Rising costs at the grocery store means that people are donating less, said Omiros. Food donations are dropping, but Omiros said the biggest decrease comes from the federal government, which has dropped donations by half compared to 2020 and 2021, when the government ramped up donations to food banks.
“Several organizations in the community have scheduled some food drives, but it wasn’t like it was last year,” said Omiros.
Greater Washington County Food Bank and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank are in need of monetary donations and volunteers.
“Our pantries rely on volunteer support to run their distributions,” said Megan Skubovius, Southwest PA specialist at Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. “Working together as a community, we will ensure that all our neighbors have the food they need to thrive. We’re happy to help connect individuals and organizations of all kinds to local pantries for donation and volunteer support.”
A list of pantries and programs in Washington, Greene, and Fayette counties can be found on Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s website at pittsburghfoodbank.org or by calling 412-460-3663 ext.655.
Omiros said volunteers play an important role in food packing for distribution at the food bank and for delivery to area residents.
For information on how to register to volunteer or how to donate to the Washington County Food Bank, visit www.foodhelpers.org or call 724-632-2190, ext. 118.
Said Omiros, “The need for food is even greater today than it was during the pandemic. Let’s talk about how we can remedy the fact that people don’t have enough food.”