At region's food programs, no recovery in sight

The nation's economic leaders have declared that the country has begun to emerge from the deepest recession in decades. But with the holiday season approaching, a return to prosperity feels more distant than ever at many Washington area food pantries.

Arlington Food Assistance Center officials noticed that as Arlington County's unemployment rate increased, so did the number of requests for food. "Those two numbers seem to be moving around the same direction at the same pace," said Christine Lucas, the center's executive director. "We know the unemployment rate is going up. We know the need for food is going up."

Lucas said her organization increased its fundraising efforts and asked previous donors to renew and increase their gifts. "We rely heavily on the support of the community to make our program strong," Lucas said. "We are lucky that we haven't had to reduce the amount of food we've given out per family."

Fairfax County's largest emergency food provider might not have enough turkeys and stuffing to provide traditional Thanksgiving meals, officials said. And in the District, the director of one meal program said it's scary to think about how many people will come through the doors this holiday season.

In Leesburg, Loudoun County's largest food pantry has experienced a 70 percent increase in the number clients seeking food since January, and its executive director predicted another jump this month and next. In Montgomery County, staff members at one food bank reported that donations have leveled off and said they wonder how they'll keep up with demand.

"I don't know what economic recovery people are talking about, because we're seeing things get worse," said Amy Ginsburg, executive director of Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg. "We will not turn anyone away, but I'm a little concerned about how we're going to manage the increased need."

November and December are often the busiest months for food pantries, and many providers said they expect this month and next to bring record numbers of needy families. It's a scenario that seemed inconceivable to nonprofit leaders a year ago, when many set records and said they didn't think demand could go higher.

"There was a sense that things couldn't get any more desperate, and things seemed to stabilize for a while this summer, but there's been another dramatic increase," said Roxanne Rice, executive director of Food for Others in Fairfax.

Rice's program, which distributes bags of food to needy residents in Fairfax and Arlington, served more than 2,000 people in September, 34 percent more than a year earlier. And although she said she's not sure what to expect this holiday season, she predicted another sharp increase.

Last year, Food for Others gave out 700 turkeys for Thanksgiving. This year, the program has yet to receive donations of holiday food. Rice said she fears that some residents who gave last year might not realize that the urgency continues.

Staff members at Loudoun Interfaith Relief do not have to worry about turkeys: The county government provides holiday meals. But Executive Director Bonnie Inman said she worries about whether donations will keep up with need. The group has provided food to about 1,000 more people each month of this year, she said.

"In a normal year, we live for the holidays because giving goes up, and we live off of that for the rest of the year," Inman said. "We're hoping that we'll open the door one day, and the food will be there."