06/12/08

The Idaho Food Bank says donations are getting slimmer as the cost of doing business soars. However, most local food banks are doing okay - at least for now.

The food bank at New Hope Christian center in Twin Falls is open Mondays from 9am until 12 noon or so. It's not uncommon for them to help as many as 200 people a month.

Sherry Gotchy, Coordinator for New Hope Food Bank said, "When the United States Post Office took up the collection to feed the people, we were one of the recipients of much of that food, along with three other entities. "

Gotchy says the food bank is also well stocked in part from an effort at Sawtooth Elementary School to collect peanut butter and jelly for kids who are hungry. But she says she's seen more senior citizens coming into the food bank lately, instead of just younger people and families.

Gotchy said, "In the last four months, I've had quite a few elderly people coming in that are on Social Security. And they cannot make it with the prices of everything that's going up, they just can't make it."

Gotchy says the food bank has helped between six and ten more families than usual in the last month. And it looks like the needs will continue to grow.

She says one family with three teenagers came all the way from Fairfield - because they had to choose between paying their bills so they'd still have a place to live - or buying groceries.

Gotchy sent them home with several boxes of food. "If they know of anybody who needs help, by all means, we have a lot of people who need a lot of help. And most of it is through food, because they've gotten to a point where they can't afford to buy food."

Jay Michaels, KMVT news.