The demand for food at pantries, kitchens and shelters supported by Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana is up 30 to 50 percent from last year.
Nearly 62,000 residents of East Central Indiana lack access to adequate amounts of nutritious food on a regular basis, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
Lois Rockhill, executive director of Second Harvest, said the recession is the main reason for the high demand of food.
"You always have your other factors, but job loss seems to be the difference [this year]," she said. "You have elderly people living on just Social Security and there's a higher cost of living, but the primary reason is economics."
USDA reports say 49 million Americans are struggling to purchase food on a regular basis. Rockhill said East Central Indiana's demand for food is consistent with the national average.
One in seven Hoosiers and close to one in four children in the region are struggling with hunger this year, she said.
Delaware County has the highest need for food assistance for food insecure families in East Central Indiana, Rockhill said. She attributed it to Muncie's and Anderson's higher populations.
Several organizations will be meeting soon to discuss how food pantries are distributing food, the size of freezers, the number of volunteers, efficiency and financial matters because of capacity issues, she said.
She said Delaware County's food pantries need to make changes to make them stronger and better able to handle the increase in demand.
The need for food will affect families' Thanksgiving this year, Rockhill said.
"There are families that will not have gifts or a special spread for the holiday," she said. "They won't have a turkey. They'll feel lucky if they have a meal."
Rockhill said Second Harvest often sends out information to families in the mail about making donations during the holiday season. Sometimes, instead of donations, she receives people's stories instead.
"I had a letter come in today from a woman that said she couldn't give money," she said. "She was ashamed and upset about not sending a donation and said they won't be [celebrating] Christmas or Thanksgiving."
Rockhill said it's not uncommon for families to forgo the holidays, and encouraged Ball State University students to help families in need.
People who have food they aren't going to use in their cupboard can donate it to a food drive, but monetary donations go further, Rockhill said.
"We can make one dollar provide six meals," she said. "Don't buy food with [the money], donate it."
Rockhill said if college students don't have any spare food or money to give, they can volunteer to work at food pantries or any non-profit organization.
Volunteering would be a good opportunity to grasp how the recession has affected a lot of people, Rockhill said.
"If [students] were to help at a food pantry, they would actually be looking people in the face and they'd see they don't look any different," she said. "There are more people experiencing this awful crisis of not knowing if they're going to eat."
Upcoming volunteer events-
- Nov. 25: Food Tailgate at McCulloch Park from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Dec. 5: The Amazing Share at Athletic Park in Anderson from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Dec. 6: Seasons of Giving Gift Fair at Reardon Auditorium Lobby in Anderson from 2 to 5 p.m.
- Dec. 10: Food Tailgate at McCulloch Park from 9 to 11 a.m.
- Dec. 11: Cassella's Kitchen Knife Sharpening Event at Cassella's Kitchen from 4 to 7 p.m.
For more information go to www.curehunger.com
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