Food Banks Are An Option For Struggling Families

Unemployment numbers are starting to look better on paper, but they might not tell the whole story.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports another drop in unemployment during March, and more than 200,000 Americans found work in the last month, but many of those jobs were low-paying positions in retail, hospitality and health care, according to the New York Times.

And despite declining unemployment figures, the number of Americans on food assistance programs continues to rise at unprecedented rates, suggesting that people are indeed still struggling to meet basic needs.

At the North Helpline food bank in Lake City, volunteers distribute food to more than 800 people each week to help alleviate rising food costs and the difficulty of paying for food on a tight budget.

“We saw a big shift when the economy got tight and banks went under,” said Special Projects Coordinator Lynda Locke. “We started seeing a lot of people who we didn’t expect to be here. I don’t think it’s going to die down.”

Locke said more people have been coming to Helpline as the legislature chips away at social service programs such as the Disability Lifeline program, which provides people who are unable to work because of mental or physical disability with $197 a month (reduced from $339 last year). Disability Lifeline recipients also receive $200 in food assistance (food stamps), which works out to less than $7 a day for food, meaning many disabled people have to rely on a combination of state assistance and food banks to survive.

In an earlier state budget proposal, the entire Disability Lifeline would have been scrapped, dumping thousands of Washingtonians from the program, but House Democrats salvaged it in exchange for further reductions to the state’s Basic Health Program in a budget proposal they unveiled last week. However, Republicans are still calling for its demise.

Fortunately for North Helpline, their food bank is able to rely on a fairly steady stream of donations from the community and can count on a team of dedicated volunteers to show up each week, Locke said. Helpline has only two full-time employees and three part-timers, but it boasts a roster of nearly 1,000 registered volunteers. Of course, not everyone shows up each week, but those who do help keep the operation running smoothly, she said.

“We like it,” she said. “We joke that we are the most successful business in the community because our volunteers are so enthusiastic.”

However, donations tend to level off during the spring and summer months, and food banks have to rely more on food drives to keep up with demand. Locke said North Helpline saw a 37 percent increase in need during 2010 and she expects numbers to keep rising as the food bank continues to serve people in five zip codes throughout North Seattle, Lake Forest Park and Shoreline.

In addition to food, North Helpline offers basic hygiene supplies and a clinic that operates through RotaCare Medical Services and Neighborcare Health to provide basic medical care to people without insurance.

The North Helpline food bank is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursdays from 4  p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Shoreline and Lake Forest Park residents can also visit the Hopelink food bank at 15809 Westminster Way N, which is open on the first and third Thursdays of the month from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and the second and fourth Wednesdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.