California Food Banks No Longer For Poor, Demand Increases 80 Percent

Los Angeles, CA (AHN) - Requests for free groceries has reached an all-time high in Los Angeles, increasing by 80 percent this spring.

According to Darren Hoffman, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank communications director, even Americans who make $70,000 a year are now visiting the food bank for the first time, because they have exhausted their retirement benefits to pay mortgages, while their savings have been used up.

The food bank gives groceries to about 670,000 people annually through a network of more than 900 religious and non-profit organizations.

Among the people who needed free groceries were employees of Countrywide Financial Corporation, which cut its manpower by more than 20 percent.

What makes food pantry administrator's tasks more challenging is a reduction in donations, while requests keep on escalating. Institutions that reduced food donation included the federal government. In 2002, the LA Regional Food Bank received 42 million pounds of groceries, down to 35 million pounds by 2007.

But the worst is yet to come as economist forecast higher food prices in the days ahead. Large retailers like Wal-Mart and Costco have been holding off passing the rise in food prices, but Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said it was inevitable that the retailers would pass it to consumers at some point.