Monday, November 7, 2011

Food pantries face constant struggle to meet growing demand

Food pantries across Michigan are struggling to keep up with demand as more people come to them in need.

In Kalamazoo County there are 26 different grocery pantries open on various days of the week, all catering to local families in need.

Each day starts the same way at the more than two dozen pantries in Kalamazoo County, with calls coming in from people looking for help.

“They are entering lots of new households, people who are between this job and the last, it's taken longer to find that job and we know that everybody's got to eat again tomorrow,” said Anne Lipsey, Executive Director, Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes.

The St. Augustine Pantry is open three days a week and also opens an extra day at the end of the month when the need is greatest. When a family comes in, workers use a key to figure out how many items they get, depending on the number of people they have to feed.

www.wwmt.com/articles/food-1398005-pantries-growing.html