Local
Shelters, food banks see rise in numbers served
By: Luke Reiter
Special to The Examiner
September 30, 2008
Homeless shelters and food banks in the Washington area are seeing huge increases in the number of people seeking assistance as the national economy falters.
Manna Food Center, a food bank that serves Montgomery County, has seen a 25 percent increase in clientele from 2007 to 2008, compared with a 1 percent increase from 2006 to 2007.
Many of the center’s first-time clients have been hit hard by problems like the subprime mortgage crisis and rising fuel and heating costs, said Amy Gabala, the center’s executive director.
“A year ago they were making it, but just barely,” she said. As the economy worsens, “It’s just enough to push them over the edge.”
Similarly, the Arlington Food Assistance Program provided food to 918 families last week, compared with 542 in the same week two years ago.
Local residents struggling to stay afloat financially often must choose between making house payments and buying food, said Christine Lucas, executive director at the Arlington Food Assistance Center.
“They like Arlington, and they want to stay here, but they’re going to need some help to do that,” she said.
Marion Peele, director of agency relations at the Capital Area Food Bank, said she had recently been contacted by an unemployed lawyer who was struggling to start his own firm. He told her he had never needed to use a food bank before, but he could no longer afford to pay his mortgage and buy food.
The number of people seeking basic immediate needs, which includes clothing, food and shelter, was up to 1,835 in the third quarter of the 2008 fiscal year, statistics from Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning show. A year earlier, 1,714 people had needed help, and 1,328 people in 2006.
Gabala said the greatest demand tends to come between October and January, possibly because many people who depend on seasonal work in spring and summer don’t have jobs when the weather gets cold. She said the organization is serving 2,400 families per month, but that could grow to 2,800 families, which might be too many to handle.
Obtaining funding has become more challenging as well. Many corporate sponsors have reduced donations or declined to participate in fundraisers. Several organizations said they also were concerned about the future of long-time supporters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose charitable programs may change after being taken over by the government.
Share our Strength, a national anti-hunger organization based in Washington, runs a program called Great American Dine Out, which collects a percentage of revenue from participating restaurants. This year, even some multilocation restaurants have backed out of the program, according to spokeswoman Sherrie Bakchi.
Typically private donations of food and money peak near the holidays, which many nonprofits are counting on.
“We’re near the breaking point, but we’re not there yet,” Gabala said. “We’re either going to celebrate or cry in January.”
Manna Food Center, a food bank that serves Montgomery County, has seen a 25 percent increase in clientele from 2007 to 2008, compared with a 1 percent increase from 2006 to 2007.
Many of the center’s first-time clients have been hit hard by problems like the subprime mortgage crisis and rising fuel and heating costs, said Amy Gabala, the center’s executive director.
“A year ago they were making it, but just barely,” she said. As the economy worsens, “It’s just enough to push them over the edge.”
Similarly, the Arlington Food Assistance Program provided food to 918 families last week, compared with 542 in the same week two years ago.
Local residents struggling to stay afloat financially often must choose between making house payments and buying food, said Christine Lucas, executive director at the Arlington Food Assistance Center.
“They like Arlington, and they want to stay here, but they’re going to need some help to do that,” she said.
Marion Peele, director of agency relations at the Capital Area Food Bank, said she had recently been contacted by an unemployed lawyer who was struggling to start his own firm. He told her he had never needed to use a food bank before, but he could no longer afford to pay his mortgage and buy food.
The number of people seeking basic immediate needs, which includes clothing, food and shelter, was up to 1,835 in the third quarter of the 2008 fiscal year, statistics from Fairfax County Coordinated Services Planning show. A year earlier, 1,714 people had needed help, and 1,328 people in 2006.
Gabala said the greatest demand tends to come between October and January, possibly because many people who depend on seasonal work in spring and summer don’t have jobs when the weather gets cold. She said the organization is serving 2,400 families per month, but that could grow to 2,800 families, which might be too many to handle.
Obtaining funding has become more challenging as well. Many corporate sponsors have reduced donations or declined to participate in fundraisers. Several organizations said they also were concerned about the future of long-time supporters Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, whose charitable programs may change after being taken over by the government.
Share our Strength, a national anti-hunger organization based in Washington, runs a program called Great American Dine Out, which collects a percentage of revenue from participating restaurants. This year, even some multilocation restaurants have backed out of the program, according to spokeswoman Sherrie Bakchi.
Typically private donations of food and money peak near the holidays, which many nonprofits are counting on.
“We’re near the breaking point, but we’re not there yet,” Gabala said. “We’re either going to celebrate or cry in January.”
