Arlene Campbell shakes her head as she stocks shelves at the Moniteau Food Cupboard. "Ordinarily this would be chuck full — but no more," she said of the near-empty storage cabinet.

Although other food was also being assembled for clients due to arrive that day, the shelved food was reserved for "emergency" calls for help, not uncommon at local cupboards.

"I might have maybe eight to 10 emergencies I do during the month," said Roxanne Renaud, who volunteers at Gleaner's Food Cupboard in Cranberry Township. "For some reason, they have no food in their house. … Some will just say, 'Well I just really don't have any food.'"

With a steady trend of increasing clients and dwindling allotments of food, Renaud and other cupboard directors say they fear what will happen as cold weather and holiday expenses approach.

Typically, food cupboards receive more calls during holiday months and toward the end of the month, when families begin to run out of food stamps and other resources.

While some state and federal assistance is allocated to food cupboards through the Butler County Community Action and Development agency, cupboards say in recent months the allocations are not keeping pace with requests for help.

"Hardly a week goes by that we don't have somebody new sign up," said Carol Lambert of the Feed My Sheep cupboard in Harrisville, one of many cupboards reporting a drop in state and federal assistance.

Although working families are among those sometimes seeking assistance, senior citizens also rely on food cupboards in order to afford medication and other necessities.

To help provide for all residents in need, churches, businesses and other community groups host food drives throughout the year. Private individuals also donate food or money.

Below are tips from local food cupboards on how to maximize resources when giving or using food.

Check expiration dates on foods to be donated. Food with illegible or expired dates will not be passed on to clients.Consider giving items that can suffice as a single meal such as canned ravioli or beef stew.Nonfood items like tooth paste, tooth brushes, razors, soap, toilet paper and laundry soap are desirable donations, since these items are not provided through state and federal programs.When donating multiple items, consider pairing items such as pasta and sauce or canned tuna and tuna helper so recipients will be better equipped to produce meals.Take advantage of coupons and two-for-one sales. Bargains allow for more generosity.Buy in bulk and give multiples of the same item. Buying multiples helps your food cupboard supply all clients with the same assortment of goods.Give money or ask what your cupboard needs. Most cupboards must buy items in order to round out what they give out each month.Some food cupboards can accept perishable items like milk, butter or meat. Ask what a particular cupboard can accept before making a donation.

Many households begin to deplete their food stores each month before the next cycle of income begins. These tips can help conserve groceries over the course of the month.Streamline your meals. Instead of eating cereal and eggs for breakfast, eat cereal one day and eggs the next.Don't spend a month's worth of grocery money or food stamps in one shopping trip. Save a portion in order to capitalize on the following week's coupons and bargains.Attend free community meals. Taking advantage of the free meals will reduce food expenditures at home.Consider making items from scratch. One bag of flour, for instance, can yield an abundance of goods.