The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania saw the need for food jump 8 percent between the months of July, August, September and October of 2016, and the months of November and December.
Ken Kobylinski wrapped his arms around a box filled with food and carried it to the backseat of a man's car. The man drove off moments later.
"There are some real tear-jerking stories out here," Kobylinski, 62, said.
The GE Transportation retiree never gave much thought to how easily a person's life can be turned upside down until he began volunteering at The Ella Cochran Food Pantry at Our Lady of Mercy Church on Bartlett Road in Harborcreek Township.
"Maybe they have their rent set aside," he said, "then the smallest unexpected thing comes up, like they need to get their car fixed. The engine goes, or the radiator goes, or the transmission goes. What are you going to do?
"It's surprising for Harborcreek because it's more affluent, but there are a lot of people falling through the cracks," he said.
Greater need
That's especially true this time of year, as the holidays and winter months of November and December drive up demand at local food pantries.
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania saw the need for food jump 8 percent between the months of July, August, September and October 2016, when it served 14,516 households, and the months of November and December, when it served 15,663. The amount of food distributed by the agency went up 19 percent, from about 1.1 million pounds monthly to 1.9 million monthly during these periods.
"This time of year every year is by far the busiest time," said Karen Seggi, executive director of Second Harvest. "Our families have a tight budget. They are more stressed during the holiday months because they start thinking about their children and Christmas gifts, the Thanksgiving meal. Thanksgiving is all about eating and some people have the hardest time just putting a minimal amount of food on the table."
Other factors weigh on a person's ability to buy food, like rising home heating bills, she noted.
The Ella Cochran Food Pantry is one of 59 in Erie County served by Second Harvest. Named for the first director of the pantry when it was formed in 1980, it sees the average number of families it serves jump from 120 to 135 in November and December. The pantry added 10 new families in October and expects to add more in the coming weeks.
Donna Clark, the parish's pastoral minister and liaison to the food pantry, says she finds both pride and humility in the pantry's clients.
"It's difficult for clients to ask for help and they think they can do it on their own," Clark, 54, said. "They try to make it through and then around the holidays they run into a bit of a crunch, because a Thanksgiving meal for a family is expensive. The other thing is, they say, "I don't need it this month, give it to someone else.' So they don't come and then when they do find that they aren't going to make it through the holidays they show up."
Sister Mary Miller, OSB, who runs the Emmaus Food Pantry at 345 E. Ninth St., watches people line up outside the facility sometimes hours in advance of its opening. It runs from 10 a.m. to noon Mondays and Tuesdays.
"We see approximately 650 households a week," she said. "These are people who stand in line for hours for only a little bit of food. We see them at other food pantries, so we know they are not getting enough food from us for the whole month."
That's true of the clients even in the winter months, Miller said. She encourages them to arrive when the pantry's doors open. But when they show up early, "I can't shoo them away."
Food insecurity
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 39,450 Erie County residents, or 14.1 percent, are food insecure, meaning that at times they lack access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and the availability of nutritionally adequate foods is limited or uncertain. It would take more than $21 million to meet the food needs of the community.
Erie County is home to 12 food deserts, areas where at least a third of the residents have to travel more than a mile to find the nearest grocery store.
Miller said another challenge for food pantries in the winter months is that they don't have access to the fresh, nutritious and inexpensive vegetables and fruit grown in their own gardens or sold at farmers' markets. Emmaus Ministries, which runs the food pantry and a soup kitchen, grew more than 2,000 pounds of produce from its own garden this past summer.
Regardless of the season, Miller sees the need for food pantries continuing to grow.
Emmaus Food Pantry has been assisting more and more refugees and people who have lost jobs. Potential cuts to federal programs like Social Security could mean that older residents become more reliant on such programs, too, she said.
"People are desperate," she said.
Clark and Miller said clients don't take advantage of the pantries. They take what they need and don't hoard.
Clark has also seen demand grow. In the five-year period of 2012 to 2016, the number of families served by the Ella Cochran Food Pantry increased by about 15 percent. Clark attributes that to more awareness of the pantry in the Harborcreek community, not necessarily growing need.
Limitations
Pantries under Second Harvest's umbrella serve specific jurisdictions. Because federal and state grants support their efforts, clients are required to register with a pantry. If a person shows up to a food pantry that doesn't serve their area, they won't leave empty-handed.
"We don't turn anyone away," said Sue Moreno, a volunteer at the Ella Cochran Food Pantry, who on Wednesday morning visited with and registered people who lined up 10 cars deep to receive food. "We have what we call 911s. If someone shows up and they need food right now, we'll serve them, one time only, and then direct them to the food pantry where they live."
Although it is housed at Our Lady of Mercy, the pantry is sponsored by three other churches: First Presbyterian Church of Harborcreek, South Harborcreek United Methodist Church and Faith Lutheran Church on East Lake Road. The local Moose Club has also become an active sponsor of the pantry. Together, they raised $29,000 over the past year to buy a new walk-in freezer.
It was a challenge, but the community came through, Clark said.
Still, there are times when not every pantry's needs can be met. When Second Harvest's supplies run short, individual food pantries occasionally use direct donations to supplement their stocks. This time of year, it can be challenging to find protein-rich foods, Clark noted.
Turkeys for Thanksgiving meals are limited, too. Moreno encountered a few disappointed people last week who had hoped to sign up for a turkey with all the fixings, which the Ella Cochran Food Pantry will distribute Monday. Seggi noted that Second Harvest takes orders for turkeys from pantries in May and finalizes that order in October. It's one example of how much planning is required by the food bank and individual pantries.
"It's unfortunate that it happens," Seggi said. "That's why we always ask for turkey donations here."
Grateful
Erin Boozer, 41, was among the people who showed up at the Harborcreek food pantry Wednesday. Boozer said her family of five's only source of income is Social Security and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
"I don't have enough to last me throughout the month," she said. "Coming through here is very simple. I am very grateful. I thank God every day."
Her 20-year-old son, Matthew Morgan, said he's appreciative of how honest, genuine and caring volunteers are when they pull up.
"If ever get to a point where I have more than I need, I plan to donate to places like this," he said.
Matthew Rink can be reached at 870-1884 or by email. Follow him on Twitter at http://ift.tt/2hFiWn6.
