The Somerset God’s Food Pantry’s ability to reach families in need is becoming even more dependent on the community’s participation, especially with a slowing economy that has made it more difficult for people to afford necessities.

The importance of fundraisers like the Feinstein Foundation Challenge – which is underway now and will be continuing through April 30 – is becoming more apparent during a time when families are finding it more difficult to afford the necessities they need.

“The food we’re collecting over the next two months is going to help the pantry survive through the spring and summer,” said Debbie Long, executive director of God’s Food Pantry.

The Feinstein Challenge helps the organization provide food for those in need through the spring and summer months, which is typically the slowest donation time. With an increasing number of people looking to the pantry for help this year, the donations made during the event will be stretched even more than they may have been last year, before food, gas and utilities became more expensive.

“We don’t want to run out of food for our clients,” Long said.

Fundraisers like the Feinstein Challenge are becoming even more important to the organization, as there is a growing gap between the number of needy families – which is steadily rising due to a slowing economy – and the amount of donations pantries are receiving.

Debbie said the local pantry served 1,341 families during January and February, which is up by 83 families from that time period in 2007.

“There has been such an increase in families that need help,” Long said. “But donated items and products are not keeping pace.”

With a slowing economy taking hold on middle- and lower-class Americans, families who were able to afford necessities such as food and gas are finding themselves on the brink of being unable to pay for the things they need.

With programs like LIHEAP – a heating program for low-income families – running out of money, people are turning to food banks across the state for help more and more.

Marian Guinn, the CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank, which services organizations in 49 counties of the state with commodities, including Somerset’s God Food Pantry, agreed that the state’s non-profit banks are having more trouble providing for everyone that asks for assistance.

“Typically, 20 percent of the budget for low-income families is for food,” Guinn said. “There has been a five percent increase in food costs. Wages just aren’t keeping up with that.”

That’s why the Feinstein Challenge, which was started by Allen Feinstein as a national campaign to raise awareness and fight hunger, can impact an organization’s ability to stretch its supplies into the slower donation months.

The Feinstein Challenge divides $1 million among participating food banks based on the number of agencies that participate and based on the amount of food and cash each organization collects.

Each food item is worth $1 – so a 20 cent item can be counted as $1 – and each dollar collected is worth $1 as well.

“(Feinstein’s) goal is to help food pantries collect as much as they can so they don’t have to purchase items,” Long said.

The fundraiser is still accepting teams for the program.

Donations that come through the Feinstein Challenge will go toward members of the population that are seeing the more extreme effects of the economy – seniors and children.

“A lot of moms and dads work for minimum wage and have three children,” Guinn said. “They’re trying hard, but they’re not making it.”

Long agreed, and said that many seniors who can’t help but forego food in the face of rising medicine costs end up at the pantry.

“We have a high population of people with diabetes,” Long said as one example of those who make sacrifices between medical help and food.

While organizations like the local God’s Food Pantry benefit from places like God’s Food Bank, Guinn said the effect of the slowing economy can be felt all through their member organizations.

“You have good, strong agencies here,” Guinn said. “But they need the community to fully embrace them.”

Recent federal budget cuts have also put programs at risk like the Commodity Supplemental Food program, which benefits nearly half a million low-income seniors and women with young children each month in 32 states, the District of Columbia and two Indian Tribal organization areas.

That program will be operating on March 13 here in Somerset at the pantry location on Fountain Square. That is the only day the pantry will be open to clients between today and Tuesday, March 25.

While Guinn said local residents have embraced the pantry, she said more needs to be done to ensure that people receive the assistance they need.

“We need to step it up,” Guinn said. “There are people that still need to be reached.”

The open house for the new pantry location is scheduled for Monday, March 24, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., and Long said everyone is welcome.

The move had originally been planned for an earlier time, but flooring and plumbing problems delayed the transition, and Long said several companies came together to assist with getting the new building ready.

“If they hadn’t been able to come do that it would’ve been another week or two getting the floor situation solved,” Long said.

Verlin Owens, the president of the God’s Food Pantry Board, said they appreciated people coming together to help the organization make the difficult move.

“They were competitors during the week and they were friends during the weekend,” Owens said. “I just want to express my thanks.”

Long also thanked numerous organizations and businesses in the area that are pitching in during the move.

“The list is endless,” Long said. “Pulaski County is made up of an amazing group of people.”