Donations At Elk Grove Food Bank Not Keeping Pace With Need
ELK GROVE (CBS13) – The Elk Grove food bank says it's struggling to keep food on the shelves, some are empty.
Elk Grove food bank officials said although the economy may be getting better, you can't tell by the empty shelves. The food bank has plenty of volunteers.
"It's fulfilling; I get great joy out of this," said Max Teller, a food bank volunteer.
The food bank is seeing a shortage of donations.
"Oh, there's a tremendous need," said Terry Pavelchik a veteran food bank volunteer.
The shelves lack not only canned and boxed food, but fruits and veggies too.
"It seems like the more that comes, the faster it goes out," said Pavelchik. "And the number keeps growing. Look at the shelves and you can see."
Volunteers say the Elk Grove Food Bank normally serves about 3,500 people a month, but recently that number has increased by another thousand. Food bank officials say it now takes about $32,000 a month in donations to feed Elk Grove's poor, but the food bank is now bringing in only half that amount.
Many of their clients are families with school-aged children, seniors, and the homeless.
Pavelchik said this is not the first time she has seen a drop in donations.
Rick Mercer with the friends of Elk Grove Library collects about a hundred pounds of donated products for the food bank every month. Mercer says most of the people in need are just hard working, blue collar folks still trying to make ends meet.
"Food is expensive so they just need that extra boost to tide them over for the month," said Mercer.
While experts say our economy is improving that gain is not trickling down to them.