Food bank sets goal of 8 million pounds to fill hunger hole in region

What does the face of hunger look like in Northwest Pennsylvania?

With a depressed job market, declining value of the American dollar and high cost of living added together, that face begins to share the look of thousands across the area every second of the day.

In fact, 69 percent of family households have incomes below the federal poverty level, according to Hunger in America 2010 North Pennsylvania Summary.

"Try to do the math yourself," said Karen S. Seggi, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank in Erie. "Try to work a minimum wage job and figure out all those costs and whatever you got left over is used to buy food...throw a child into the mix who needs sneakers, grows their coat out every year and who also needs to be fed. It becomes virtually impossible."

Despite the economic downturn, Second Harvest Food Bank anticipates distributing eight million pounds of food into the hands of the community by the end of its 2010 fiscal year.

"The thing about hunger is that people don't normally talk about it," Seggi said. "You don't come to work and say to your boss, ‘Paul, I didn't eat last night,' so it's a very humbling experience to have go to a food pantry to get food."

Second Harvest, part of the national network of Feeding America, is the largest non-profit organization in Northwest Pennsylvania. With an annual income of about $450,500 in donations, it dispenses food and grocery products to 254 member agencies such as food pantries, soup kitchens, kids' cafes, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and senior centers that directly serve to needy recipients in 11 counties.

"The majority of the food you see in our warehouse would have been food that would have ended up in a landfill for one reason or another. A business could not sell it and basically, it's because of mistakes or overproduction," Seggi said.

Unlike food drives, which only demand non-perishable food items to be distributed, Second Harvest requests a variety of food and grocery products ranging from fresh fruits and vegetables, to peanut butter and baby products.

"We have the capabilities for storing perishable items in a freezer and cooler, and that's what a lot of our agencies are asking us for…food that is healthy and nutritious," Seggi said.

On the other hand, "what we drastically need is cereal," said Paul Friend, operations manager.  "It is expensive to buy and flies right out of here."

One member agency reaping the full benefits of Second Harvest's efforts is Erie City Mission, a Christian social outreach program that offers service and care to those impacted by the effects of poverty, addiction, and homelessness.

"I have trouble making ends meet, so coming here is a necessity for me," said Tom Killion, a regular to Erie City Mission, who was once a homeless man traveling from one shelter to another.

With the help of Second Harvest, Erie City Mission food services provide hot lunch meals seven days a week to an estimated 200 people a day.

And the food served there is like no other.

"What I do is look to see what we have on hand and I will begin to create a meal," says Kevin Stevenson, kitchen director of Erie City Mission. "We get a lot of staples here such as pasta, grains and meat which we put together to make a great meal to feed the public, residents and our staff.

Stevenson's  menu might feature barbecue ox roast, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, lasagna, steamed baby carrots and, of course, a buffet-style dessert table.

"The people I serve are great people," Stevenson said. "I can see myself in them, simply because I was once there on that side of the line."

Local Edinboro residents who are unfamiliar with the Erie area can go to the Edinboro Food Pantry located downtown in the basement of the Edinboro Municipal Building. Unlike the Erie City Mission that serves the community daily, the Edinboro Food Pantry is open on Tuesdays from 1 to 5 p.m., providing boxed staples to about 200 local families and college students each week.

"We put eight to nine staples in to-go boxes, such as juice, canned soup and vegetables," said distribution manager Mary Weber. "Sometimes we get shampoo and even pet food. Almost everyone who comes in has either a dog or cat to feed."

Officials at the  Second Harvest Food Bank, Erie City Mission and Edinboro Food Pantry all agree the quest to end hunger in the Northwest Pennsylvania community does not stop with them.

Anyone can volunteer and make a difference in the community.

"For volunteers, their time is valuable. If it were not for them, it would be very difficult to for us to run operations," Seggi said.

At Second Harvest, about 85 regular volunteers including college students, elementary students and retirees donate their time in a single work week.

"I love my job," said Seggi. "I've gotten up in the morning and thought, ‘I don't feel like getting out of bed' but I've never gotten up in the morning and thought, ‘I don't want to come work'."