Another message left on a paper plate expresses the writer's need. Food bank officials use these messages to advocate their services for the needy.

These figures give a snapshot of how the poor economy has impacted individuals and families in Butler County. The poverty level is $10,890 for one person and up to $37,630 for an eight-member family. The county’s percentage of its population below the poverty level is 8.8 percent.

• Free Lunch — Nearly 5,000 children get free or reduced-price lunches through the National School Lunch Program; 6,000 are eligible in the county, meaning that 18 percent of those eligible are not participating.

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — Individuals with incomes within 160 percent of the poverty level are eligible. Of the 30,000 eligible, 16,123 participate.

• WIC — Pregnant women, new mothers and children up to 5 years old with family incomes below 185 percent of the poverty level are eligible for the Women, Infants and Children Program. Participation is high, at 77 percent of the 3,300 eligible individuals.

• Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program — WIC program participants are eligible for this program, along with senior citizens with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty level. Twenty-six percent of the 7,800 eligible seniors participate, while 35 percent of eligible WIC clients participate.

• Food Bank — The Butler County Food Bank provides food to just 20 percent of the 26,000 eligible participants, whose income must be below 150 percent of the poverty level.