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Local food pantries hungry to serve more

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

Volunteers Cora Ortiz (l) and Heidi Hornton pack food orders at the ECHO pantry. The shelves are currently well stocked but the post holiday season is expected to be much leaner.

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

ECHO volunteers Roberta Johnson (l) and Mary Hunt pack food orders for clients on 12/29/08. Although the pantry's shelves are well stocked for the present, increased demand is expected to take it's toll after the holiday season.

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

Shelia Dykeman (front) packs food bags while Tim Gladen and Beverly Smith check in a delivery of baked goods from area grocery stores at the Salvation Army.

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Photo by Bill Olmsted

Shelia Dykeman (front) packs food bags while Tim Gladen and Beverly Smith check in a delivery of baked goods from area grocery stores at the Salvation Army.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Shelves at the Milton Community Action Food Pantry are nearly overflowing with food items thanks to a community that came through with donations when the need was great.

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Carol Hulburt is pantry coordinator at Milton Community Action Food Pantry, where the shelves are well-stocked thanks to a community that came through with donations.

JANESVILLE — Local food pantries are serving more people and people they've never seen before.

Some who used to donate to the food pantries now are getting handouts.

ECHO earlier this week helped a man who had a six-figure income until he got hurt. Now, he and his family of five are living off his spouse's $25,000 annual income.

The Salvation Army recently gave food to a family of four whose income dropped after Dad was hurt on the job and went from collecting full wages to worker's compensation. At the same time, Mom got laid off. They're struggling to make ends meet and to feed their 4-year-old and baby.

"The numbers and faces of who we are seeing are changing swiftly. We've been seeing the faces of people who used to make enough money to support themselves and were donors," said Karen Lisser, ECHO executive director, wrote in a report.

Seeking help, especially for the first time, is never easy, said Jessica Schafer, office manager and client advocate at ECHO.

Most new clients admit embarrassment and can't look workers in the eye.

"It's not a place they ever expected to come," Schafer said.

Tammy Prochazka, social services coordinator at the Salvation Army, agreed.

"It's truly a challenge, and sometimes pride gets in the way. They are afraid people will find out," Prochazka said.

Growing demand

Local nonprofits that serve those in need have seen an increase in clients this year and expect to serve even more in the coming year.

Through October, ECHO provided groceries to 21,430 people, including 7,174 families. That is an increase of 1,450 people and 538 families compared to the same 10 months last year.

The Salvation Army food pantry had a 24 percent increase in clients served in the 12 months ending Sept. 30, Prochazka said. About 700 people sought food assistance in November 2007, but in November this year 1,200 people needed help.

Despite the increase in demand, ECHO's food pantry shelves earlier this week were well stocked.

"But that changes day-to-day based on the number of people who come for food orders. And, with the number of people who have been coming in, it won't last," Schafer said.

The Salvation Army is struggling to keep up with demand.

"We are running low on all food items and have a hard time keeping up with canned meats—tuna, chicken—cereal and potatoes," Prochazka said.

The need for food is expected to rise.

"Demand is increasing. We anticipate next year we will see an increase of another 25 percent," Prochazka said.

"With the (General Motors) plant closing, that's going to impact the economy a lot. We're seeing new people—those who were donating food now need food, and that makes a difference," Prochazka added.

Lisser agreed in her report: "With the closure of General Motors and its suppliers as well as other businesses, the trickle-down effect is huge."

"We're already seeing clients—between 20 and 30 new families a week; half who are laid-off employees of General Motors' subsidiaries—who've never used ECHO before in need of assistance," Schafer said.

Many of ECHO's other clients are working families not making livable wages, and some are facing mortgage foreclosures, Shafer said.

Keeping up

Even though ECHO has the capacity to fill an average of 40 food orders a day in addition to serving 200 families each month through it's mobile market, it still turns away five to 15 families a day.

Those who are turned away are referred to other food pantries, and if they have no food, a bag is packed to get them through the next couple meals.

"It's sad and very stressful to not be able to help everybody who comes in," Schafer said.

"We're trying to do the best we can every day in meeting all the needs with what resources we have," she said.

ECHO is organizing efforts to meet the demand but will need more fund drives, volunteers and food donations, Schafer said.

"We're going to do whatever we need to, to keep providing the same number of people food if not more."

The Salvation Army is asking the community to continue making food donations to supplement the food commodities its gets once a month.

"The community has been generous," Prochazka said. "It's just the need has increased so much."

Other area food pantries are struggling to keep up with record demand.

Beloit Township

In the past, families turned to Caritas once a year in a pinch.

Now, some families in the state line area, including Beloit Township, go five or six times a year to the pantry and donation center at 1175 Madison Road, Beloit, Director Judith Petree said.

But even as times get tighter, those who are able still keep giving, Petree said. Donations have been generous, and Petree sees Caritas moving strongly into the new year.

"People are compassionate. Even if they don't have a lot, they can give a little," Petree said.

The pantry and donation center serves close to 500 families each month. Residents need to bring identification and may pick up food once per month. The food pantry is open from 1 to 2:30 p.m. weekdays.

The clothing and bedding room opens at 10 a.m. Volunteer opportunities are available from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Brodhead

An increase in donations to the Brodhead White Gift Food Pantry, 1103 W. 2nd Ave., surprised president Ruth Brobst.

"I was amazed because (of) the way the economy is, but I think people outdid themselves—monetary and food and time. Everything," she said. "We are doing well."

More people have donated food, and then donated their time to help at the pantry, she said.

Demand for food started increasing around September, now about double to triple compared to previous years, she said.

"About September … you could tell that things were different," she said.

Clinton

A beautiful blessing.

Those descriptive words came from the directors of Clinton's two food pantries: Clinton Community Outreach, located in the River of Life United Methodist Church, 402 Church St., and the food pantry located in Christ Lutheran Church, 300 High St.

The two pantries work together to serve the community. Both saw an increase in need and donations this year.

"I think people are thinking, ‘If costs are going up for me, just think of how the others are hurting,'" Christ Lutheran spokeswoman Linda Ault said.

Maybe people see the fine line between those who can give and those who are in need, Outreach co-coordinator Cathy Manthei said.

"I had one guy come in and say, ‘I used to be able to give you guys money, but I'm being laid off from GM,'" Manthei said. "Another mom said, ‘I had to choose between putting gas in the car or feeding my kids. And I have to get to work.'

"That kind of stuff rips your heart out."

Christ Lutheran Church accepts appointments for food donations between 9 and 11 a.m. weekdays. Call at (608) 676-4994 to set up an appointment. The church focuses on helping seniors in need.

The Outreach is open the second Saturday of each month. The food pantry accepts donations from 8 to 9 a.m. and shares food from 9 to 11 a.m. Call (608) 676-5568 for more information.

Delavan

The number of families needing food pantry services in Delavan increased by 40 percent from October to December, Director Bob Drefs said.

The pantry, located in the basement of St. Andrew's Catholic Church, 700 E. Walworth Ave., Delavan, served 70 families in the Delavan-Darien area in December, Drefs said.

But donations have remained as strong, if not stronger, than ever, he said.

For now, the pantry has no plans to change the way it serves the community in order to keep serving those in need, he said.

"Donations are good," Drefs said. "With that thought, we're going to be a little more conservative on what we're going to spend. We have the money now, but we have to be wise with it."

The pantry is open Saturdays from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Edgerton

Edgerton Community Outreach saw demand for its food pantry jump in 2008, Executive Director Sarah Williams said.

The organization served 139 families in December, up from 109 families in December 2007, she said.

Williams has seen a mix of clients who have lost jobs and those struggling to make it on low wages, she said. Many families put off paying bills when gas prices were high and now are trying to catch up.

Fortunately, donations are way up this year, too, Williams said. The pantry was lucky to receive a large donation of chili and beef stew from Hormel Foods through ECHO, a Janesville nonprofit, she said.

Elkhorn

The Elkhorn Food Pantry, at St. John's Lutheran Church, 104 S. Broad St., Elkhorn, is expecting its numbers to go up through the first few months of 2009, said Betty Felten, food pantry president.

Through November, the pantry served 3,546 people in 1,352 households, she said. During the same period last year, the food pantry served 2,782 people in 1,128 households.

"The numbers just have continually gone up, and I certainly know that with the economy in the last six months, we've been expecting more and more people," she said. "For people who just get by when something like this happens, there's no reserve."

Felten said donations of food and money were down through October, but things seemed to pick up around the holidays.

"My shelves were probably lower than I'd ever seen them," she said. "But we were overwhelmed with stuff between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whether we got more, I don't know. I just think we got it all at once."

The increased demand has meant the food pantry has had to dip into its monetary donations more regularly—and spend the money more wisely, Felten said.

Before, she would alternate buying groceries from the two local grocery stores, Daniels Sentry and Frank's Country Market, which would deliver the groceries to the pantry.

"But this last quarter, I started shopping prices," Felten said.

She also started making the hour-long drive to Second Harvest in Milwaukee and shopping at Aldi to get staples such as ground beef, hot dogs, margarine, toilet paper and paper towels at a discount.

She's stopped buying some items, such as salad dressing and coffee.

"If it's donated, I have it," Felten said. "If it's not donated, I don't have it."

Participants can come once a month for groceries.

The Elkhorn Food Pantry is open from 9 to 11 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Evansville

Donations have continued to pour in to the pantry at the Evansville Ecumenical Care Closet, 206 S. Madison St., volunteer and publicity chair Barb Dorsey said.

"We have quite a few community organizations that support us regularly," she said.

The Care Closet, which is a food pantry and thrift store organized by five local churches, opened more than five years ago. Dorsey said community involvement has increased every year.

The income from the thrift store continues to grow, allowing the organization to buy more food, she said.

Food demand also has increased this year. Dorsey estimates the pantry is serving about 15 more families than last year.

Lake Geneva

The Lake Geneva Food Pantry, at First Congregational Church, 715 Wisconsin St., is experiencing unprecedented demand, said director Jean Benedict.

The food pantry recently served 813 people in a month, compared to an average of 250, she said.

"These are record numbers," she said. "We've never seen anything like this."

Benedict said donations have been steady through the holiday season.

"But as fast as it's coming in, it's going off the shelves," she said. "People have been very generous, but I don't know if people are going to continue to give (after the holidays). It's hard to say."

Benedict said the food pantry hasn't had to make any significant adjustments aside from more often denying people an item they request.

"Sometimes there are bare spots on the shelves, and we just have to say, ‘Sorry, we don't have chicken noodle soup this week,'" she said. "I can't do anything about it."

Participants can come once a month for groceries.

The Lake Geneva Food Pantry is open from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Milton

Milton's generosity proved greater than its need over the Christmas season.

The Milton Community Action Food Pantry saw its client base spike in the second half of the year. Suddenly, it was serving more than 100 families a month, where before it served about 80 families a month, volunteer Carol Hulburt said.

The shelves started to empty, and volunteers feared they wouldn't be able to meet the demand this winter.

They made a plea for help. The Milton Courier ran a couple of stories in November and December, and the donations came pouring in.

"The giving always goes up at Christmastime, but this was exemplary," Hulburt said.

When asked what organizations and individuals helped the pantry, Hulburt said it would be harder to think of a group that didn't help the pantry.

Children asked birthday-party guests to bring donations instead of presents, and families donated money that would have gone to gift exchanges, she said. The police department donated several barrels of food, and several schools held food drives.

The pantry gave Christmas meals and gifts to about 130 families Dec. 19 and 20.

"It didn't take much for the people and businesses and schools of Milton to come through," Hulburt said. "We'll comfortably be able to serve everybody now."

Orfordville

Donations at Churches United for People food pantry, Orfordville Lutheran Church, 210 N. Main St., have been "very generous" this year, said Elsie Mathewson, president of CUP.

"We've had good monetary donations and good food donations," she said.

Food demand also has risen slightly, she said.

"It seems to be increasing," she said. "It's not just a great big amount, (but a) steady increase."

Walworth

The Big Foot Emergency Food Pantry, at Immanuel United Church of Christ, 111 Fremont St., Walworth, is doing all right—for now, said site coordinator Madeline Zindrick.

"We're doing very well right now," she said. "Donations have been coming in tremendously. But our need has gone up as well."

Zindrick said the food pantry has seen its numbers increase from about 50 families a month during the summer to 60 or more during the fall and winter.

"We're breaking records almost every month, and it has gradually been increasing," she said. "Each month it's kept on going up and up."

Zindrick said while it might be a struggle to keep the shelves stocked after the holidays, she's more concerned about what's going to happen this summer.

"We may be very well stocked at this time, but come June, the bottom falls out," she said.

Demand often increases in the summer because children aren't in school, where they receive breakfast and lunch, Zindrick said. To compensate for the anticipated drop in donations, the food pantry has asked companies that usually hold big food drives in the winter to either move them to the summer or to have a second drive in the summer, she said.

Participants can come once a month for groceries.

The Big Foot Emergency Food Pantry is open from 2 to 4 p.m. Friday and from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

Whitewater

The Whitewater Food Pantry in the old Whitewater armory, 146 W. North St., Whitewater, is "very fortunate" compared to most local food pantries that are struggling, said director Marilyn Kienbaum.

"We've received more donations this year—both money and food—than we've ever had," she said. "I think people are reading about how the times are. It just amazes me."

It's a good thing donations are up because the number of people in line each week is increasing, Kienbaum said. During one recent week, the food pantry had more than 70 requests for assistance compared to an average of 50 to 55 requests, she said.

Kienbaum said the tough economic times have brought to the food pantry people who've never needed help before—and many of them are appreciative.

"Every once in a while, people say, ‘I don't know what we'd do without you,'" she said.

Participants can come once a month for groceries and once a week for milk, produce and baked goods.

The Whitewater Food Pantry is open from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and Thursdays.

FOR HELP

For more information about how to give or get food help in Janesville, call ECHO, 65 S. High St., at (608) 754-5333 or the Salvation Army, 514 Sutherland Ave., at (608) 757-8300.