Bare cupboards a sign of the season

As the holidays approach, some food pantries in the area are struggling to meet the growing need for help.

For thousands of families across the region, food pantries are a necessity.

And with the bleak economy adding to those numbers every day, food bank operators say they are in "survival mode" too.

Dottie Rimmer, coordinator of the New Britain Baptist Church Food Larder, one of the largest in Bucks County, said the church pantry is very busy.

"As fast as it comes in, it goes off the shelf. I have one box of rice right now and no supply of cereal. We're down to the bare bones."

Open just two days a week, Rimmer said the food bank has served some 900 people every month for the past several months. At this time last year, about 750 people came through the church-sponsored program off Route 202.

Complicating the situation is the state's snail-like pace to release money to nonprofits to purchase food for the food bank.

Rimmer said that revenue is normally in the larder's account at this point in the fiscal year, but the funds have been delayed.

"We don't expect to have any state food until the first week of December," she said. "We're hanging on by a thread here."

Things are a little brighter at the Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton, according to Carol Doyle, the center's food pantry coordinator.

"Our businesses and communities are very generous," said Doyle. "We expect to see a lot of donations" as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach.

The annual Boy Scout food drive is set for Nov. 20 and is a reliable source for plentiful donations, Doyle noted.

But the center, which serves communities within the Souderton Area School District, is also seeing a rising demand for its many social services, including food.

Doyle said while some are leaving the economically hard hit area to look for work, others are staying and doubling or tripling up in their living conditions to cut down on expenses.

With unemployment benefits coming to an end for many, everyone is under increasing pressure, said Doyle.

An average of 270 families use the food pantry every month and more than 500 households are registered. Doyle said the center will distribute more than 200 Thanksgiving meals this year.

A program begun last year, "Fresh for All," is providing 28 pounds to 30 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables every week to those in need in the Souderton area. Doyle said the service, a partnership between Philabundance and Grace Bible Church, has been a success in providing fresh produce to some 1,200 residents.