Emergency food supplies are dwindling in Southeast Ohio and some food pantries in the region have now been forced to close.
Southeastern Ohio Regional Food Center Director Dick Stevens says his region is in a crisis. He says eight food pantries in Perry, Meigs, Jackson, Gallia and Athens Counties have been forced to close for lack of emergency food supplies.
"We're serving more families with less food."
Stevens says his network of food pantries serves 35,000 families each month in counties southeast of Columbus stretching to the Ohio River. Last year they distributed 12,000,000 pounds of food. But, Stevens says he expects to distribute just 8,000,000 pounds this year, even though demand is higher. As a result, he says many people are doing what he called "creative things" to put food on the table.
"I'm sure that there might be some families, particularly parents that might be skipping some meals to make sure their kids eat."
Stevens says the food crisis in southeast Ohio is the worst since the Regional Food center opened in 1984.
Tom Borgerding WOSU News