With a tough economy tumbling into the depths of a miserable economy, agencies feeding and housing people in need may suffer a serious blow, according to officials at local nonprofit agencies.
Calls for help are increasing, especially entering the winter months, and donations are barely keeping pace, mostly due to individuals and corporations considering tight budgets and falling profits, respectively. The future, however, remains uncertain.
“I think there’s some relief as far as gas prices that have gone down, but I think the real issue is the economy and unemployment, and those numbers continue to tick up,” said James M. Caldwell, president and CEO of Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank (TNOFB). “And so I even foresee a 2009 which is a lot more difficult than 2008. So unless we can get this economy resolved, and that’s going to take some time, I think for the next couple of years, we’re going to have our work cut out for us here.”
He said product distribution has increased by 210,000 pounds since 2007, and the number of families and individuals served is up 10 to 12 percent, but food donations are down. Fortunately, consistent contributors, such as The Kroger Co. — and the fact the organization works with the Second Harvest Food Bank — TNOFB has maintained services for those in need throughout the area.
But, Caldwell added, the market is too fluid to take anything for granted. Nonprofits have to work harder because any further downfall could put them in jeopardy of dismantling.
“We’re serving more people than what we’ve ever served through our pantry network here in Northwest Ohio. We’ve got people accessing services that use to be donors to the food bank, so the pressure is continued to increase in terms of the need to provide food,” Caldwell said.
“The caveat though is that as economic pressures continue to mount, the Krogers of the world may not always be there. They have issues that they have to deal with in terms of financial pressures.”
Rodney Schuster, vice president of development for Cherry Street Mission Ministries, also expressed concern for the ability to continue to provide services for a growing number of people. He said some contributors, such as House of Meats, have stepped up to meet increasing needs, but economic conditions create the possibility that support may diminish in the future.
Fortunately for now, House of Meats has added 50 pounds of sausage per week to its usual donation of 50 pounds of chicken, which has been ongoing for about 15 years. People also came forward “generously” during an emergency food drive in October, but overall, food donations have fallen by 50 percent, a statistic Schuster called “extensive” considering the 650 to 700 meals his organization serves daily.
“It’s scary to me because with unemployment at 10 percent, the economy really with no signs right now of resurgence or growth, it’s concerning for us long-term how we’re going to be able to keep making ends meet, but so far we’ve been able to do that,” he said. “All the needs are increasing, and the support is not as strong as it used to be, not as strong as we need to keep up with that long term.”
Two other factors — volunteerism and awareness — are also adversely affecting the cause of feeding the poor. The mission serves about 400 men, women and children daily, which Schuster said requires about 60,000 volunteer hours. The dedication is equivalent to 30 employees working full time for a year, and without such support, “we’re out of business.”
He said he believes more people would volunteer and donate if they were more aware of poverty and homelessness. While addressing groups, especially high school students, during promotional events, he related a widespread misconception of how and where the homeless find themselves without a place to sleep.
“Everybody has perceptions. It might be of a 55-year-old drunk, white male or it might be somebody suffering from poverty. The faces of homeless vary through every socio-economic barrier. When people come down here, they see 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds, 30-year-olds and they’ll say, ‘Does he work for you?’ And I’ll say, ‘No, he’s homeless.’”
For more information, call TNOFB at (419) 242-5000 or visit www.toledofoodbank.org and Cherry Street Mission at (419) 242-5141 or www.cherrystreetmission.org.
