Food needs grow. . .

Last week, Dr. Keven Vicknair, Director of CitySquare's "Food on the Move" initiative that seeks to address the food and nutritional needs of low-income, working families, sent me the following report on activity in our Food Pantry through the end of July 2012.  One conclusion that seems clear is the fact that the economy hurts the poor most of all.

Here's what she reports:

From January to July of 2012, the Food Pantry provided food to 12,901 individuals, of whom 4,478 (34.7%) have never before required our services and 2,283 (17.7%) who have returned after not needing us for at least six months.

This lets me know that the economy is not only pushing new people below the poverty threshold, but is in fact returning many people to the poverty rolls who had started to be self-sufficient but once again find themselves struggling.