Food bank lines swell

By Colin Rigley

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Posted: Friday, June 6, 2008 10:29 AM CDT

Jan Sweeney, left, and Jeanette Chacon sort through donated food at the Good Samaritan Community Covenant Church food bank during the Foodstock 2008 drive, held May 31 in Rancho Calaveras. Enterprise photo by Colin Rigley

Social workers in Calaveras County have a forlorn tone in their voices, and it’s easy to see why.

As gas prices rise concurrently raising the cost of food, and more and more people are flooding food banks and social-service offices as their incomes become less viable in a slumping economy.

Both the Human Resources Council Food Bank and the Calaveras Works and Human Services Agency offices have had massive increases in people accessing their services in recent months.

The food bank served 65 percent more clients in the first quarter of 2008 than it did in the first quarter of 2007. In 2007, the food bank served 180,000 meals, and is on course to serve 297,000 meals in 2008. Billie Westernoff, HRC Food Bank director, said the food bank typically has an annual 5- to 10-percent increase.

“This is the first time we have seen this big of an increase,” she said.

Between February 2006 and January 2007, Calworks served 1,511 clients, which increased to 4,706 over the next year. The office has 1,092 food stamp cases open, up 29 cases from March. The number of applications received in January was about 21 percent more than what was received in January 2007 and the office is averaging about 375 applications per month, Eligibility Program Manager Kathy Houle said.

For the complete story, see Friday’s print edition of the Calaveras Enterprise or our e-Edition.

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