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Food pantry use skyrockets in Massachusetts

E-mail|Link|Comments () February 2, 2010 08:07 AM

By David Abel, Globe Staff

Nearly one out of every 10 state residents last year relied on a food pantry, soup kitchen, or shelter – a 23 percent increase over four years before, according to a new survey of food banks in Massachusetts.

The survey by Feeding America, a network of 200 food banks around the country, estimated more than 571,000 state residents relied on food assistance last year.

The state’s food banks distributed 44.7 million pounds of food last year, a 30 percent increase from 2006, reflecting a spike in demand as unemployment and poverty have surged during the recession.

“The picture painted by these studies is simply heartbreaking,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank, which provides food to about 83,000 people a week. “They show how families are suffering and struggling to make ends meet during a time of economic distress. While we are providing more food than ever, this is still simply not enough.”

The study, by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., of Princeton, N.J., surveyed a sample of food recipients at 10 percent of 731 food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters supplied by the Greater Boston Food Bank as well as similar organizations in Worcester and Western Massachusetts.

They study found that an estimated 21 percent of clients served by Massachusetts food banks are homeless, a 50 percent increase from a similar survey in 2006. It also found that 80 percent of food recipients are living in homes without consistent access to food, up from 68 percent in 2006.

Other notable findings: About 50 percent of food recipients receive food stamps; 79 percent of households surveyed with children under age 18 lack sufficient food; and the percentage of clients age 65 or older increased to 14 percent, up from 11 percent in 2006.