Food bank donations down

PROVO — Donations in Utah County to an annual statewide food drive dropped 48 percent this year, jeopardizing a local food bank's ability to feed hungry families next summer.

On Saturday, about 155,000 pounds of food were donated to the Community Action Food Bank in Provo for the Alliance for Unity Food Drive. Contributions since have increased the amount to 166,000 pounds.

In 2005, though, almost 340,000 pounds of food were donated on one Saturday in December, and total donations reached about 400,000 pounds by the end of December.

"This is quite a shock for us," said Myla Dutton, executive director of Community Action Services, which sponsors the food bank. "This has never happened before."

And the Community Action Food Bank, which serves Utah, Wasatch and Summit counties, isn't the only organization experiencing a donation shortage.

A food pantry in Salt Lake City closed down recently and a food bank in Richfield also experienced a brief donation famine, according to a statement issued Monday by the Community Action Food Bank. State totals for the Alliance for Unity Food Drive donations have not yet been calculated.

While unsure why donations decreased so drastically, Dutton said it may be because major natural disasters in the past two years kept the need for service paramount in people's minds. But not this year.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in 2004 brought graphic pictures of human suffering and need to Utahns. That may have prompted higher donations in those years, Dutton said.

Another reason may be a lack of organization among neighborhoods and religious congregations, she said.

"We had some people that dropped food off today and they indicated that in their neighborhood it wasn't organized very well," Dutton said.

If a neighborhood or other group organizes a donation pickup, then donations are usually higher because it's easier for people to give, she said.

The decrease in donations is particularly disturbing because the number of needy families has gradually increased since the food drive began five years ago.

"Each month more than 200 new families come to us for food assistance, in addition to the hundreds we already serve, and our needs are ongoing and increasing," said Jim Thomas, Provo food bank director.

If more food is not donated, Thomas said the food bank will have to begin turning needy families away next summer.

Non-perishable food can be donated by individuals at any Jiffy Lube and truck loads of food can be taken to any Smith's Food Store until the end of December.

"Come back and join us," Dutton said.

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E-mail: rwestenskow@desnews.com