An article in the Friday, March 21, edition of the Butler Eagle showed why food banks are so important, especially in areas where there are few food shopping options.

Five food pantries that together cover large parts of the northern part of the county — the Feed My Sheep food pantry in Slippery Rock, the Petroleum Valley Food Cupboard in Petrolia, Chicora Commons in Chicora, Portersville Food Pantry in Portersville, and the Moniteau Area Food Pantry in West Sunbury — all say they have seen higher demand and offer several reasons for that.

Sandra Curry, who is the executive director of the Butler County-based nonprofit Community Partnership, which operates the Butler County Food Bank and helps supply food for pantries across the county, said demand is up by as much as 300% to 500% compared to last year, depending on the month.

She suggested two causes for the increase: inflation and lack of grocery options in parts of the county.

Inflation of food costs has been a major problem. Food costs increased an average of nearly 6% a month in 2023, and while that has slowed, it’s not likely to reverse any time soon.

The increase in food costs can leave people with stark choices.

“When your income doesn't change, but your costs go up, then you’re forced to make choices about where you spend that income,” Curry said. “And so for a lot of people, they’re choosing to spend that income on what they have to.”

And for people in the northern parts of Butler County, there is only one full grocery store, located in Slippery Rock. The travel time and fuel costs make food even more expensive. Some people simply can’t get to the store.

For Carol Lambert, the organizer of Feed My Sheep in Slippery Rock, said many of the people her food pantry serves have a disability or don’t have access to a vehicle. To help counter that, the pantry delivers.

“Transportation is the biggest problem for our clients to get to us, or finding enough volunteers who are willing to drive and deliver food,” Lambert said.

More people would go hungry without the efforts of the volunteers and organizers, and without the donations that help keep food pantry shelves stocked. They deserve the community’s thanks and continued support.

— JK