Demand for food for poor soars in Western New York

The Buffalo News reported on October 22, 2008 that the demand for food in food pantries and soup kitchens has soared. Here is a snippet from the article:

This year, the dining room has been cooking 1,500 to 2,000 more meals per month than in 2007. It’s one example of a growing appetite for donated food.

The Food Bank of Western New York expects to redistribute more than 12 million pounds of food this year — a nearly 12 percent increase over 2007 — to 204 pantries and soup kitchens in Erie, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua and Niagara counties.