More Snohomish County families needing help with food

Soaring gas prices and a downturn in the economy have more working families turning to food banks for help.

Those very same economic factors have food bank volunteers worrying that it also may affect people’s donations during today’s annual letter carriers food drive — the biggest one-day food drive in Snoho­mish County.

“We’ve been worrying that it would be less this year with everybody’s finances being so tight,” said Peg Amarok, administrative director for the Lynnwood Food Bank.

The numbers of people asking for help have gone up immensely while donations have gone down quite a bit, she said.

People can participate in the annual letter carriers’ food drive by putting donations of nonperishable food next to their mailbox today. The food is distributed to food banks throughout Snohomish County.

Food banks need donations of canned fruits, vegetables, juices, meats and stews. Donations of personal hygiene items, such as diapers, baby formula, shampoo and soap also are requested.

One measure of the increase in requests for food assistance is the number of people calling 211, Snohomish County’s social service hotline.

These calls jumped significantly during the first three months of this year over last year. The biggest increase came in March, when 206 people called for assistance, more than double the 94 people who called in March 2007.

Dana Mulligan, a volunteer at the Marysville Community Food Bank, said she’s seen a steady increase this year in the number of families getting donated food.

“I heard a few people say they haven’t been there for a while but because of the price of gas and food they’ve had to come back,” she said. “It’s the working poor, not just the homeless — people just trying to make it.”

The annual food drive comes at a time in the year when food banks are running thin on food supplies donated during the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas food drives, Mulligan, said.

“We’re really trying to focus on giving clients a healthy diet, not just something to fill their belly,” she said.

The Lake Stevens Community Food Bank has seen demand climb about 10 percent this year, said Jim Foster, director.

The food bank has come to rely on the annual donations from the letter carriers’ food drive, which generally provides about a third of canned goods donated to the food bank each year.

“We depend on it very much,” Foster said. “It’s the big event of the year.”

Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.