As more and more people are showing up at local food cupboards, the same dollars are buying less and less to stock the shelves.

"People are loosing their jobs. And the money they do have is not going as far," said Debbie Gould, coordinator of the food program at Butler County Community Action.

Gould said Community Action uses state funding to purchase food for 15 food cupboards and 12 senior sites in Butler County.

On average, those agencies have been serving 1,963 families a month, which is up 63 families from the 1,900 families served monthly in 2008-09. It is a 94-family increase over the 1,869 family average in 2007-08.

"The number of people served just keeps rising," Gould said.

At the same time, funding has been somewhat stagnant: In the 2009-10 budget year, the agency received $145,666. That was down from the $147,000 the year prior, but up from the $139,000 received in 2007-08.

However, as Gould noted: "The price of food is going up."

The same allotment of money that only a year ago purchased about 1,000 cases of canned goods now only buys about 850 cases, Gould said.

Because of that, the 12,204 cases of food the agency was able to purchase and distribute in 2007-08 year decreased to 11,125 cases in 2008-09.

In addition to government funding, the agency and the individual food pantries often rely on monetary and food donations.

Each pantry receives canned goods, boxed foods and other nonperishable food items.