As gas and oil prices are reaching record highs and the prices of staple foods such as bread and milk are steadily increasing, people all over the United States are feeling the pinch. Yesterday's dollars don't go as far in filling the tank or filling one's stomach. However, a less noticed victim of the rise in prices has been local food pantries and the people they serve. These pantries are faced with tough decisions about how to keep their shelves stocked as donations are diminishing while need is growing.

"We've been feeling the crunch lately," said Gerard DeMatteo, president of the Rutherford Community Pantry Board. "It's become harder and harder to keep the shelves full." The board is having a meeting on May 12 specifically to discuss how to meet the rising demand.

For Rutherford the problem has been more on the demand side. For the first four months of 2008, the pantry has been giving out about 30 bags of food more per month than usual, according to Kathy Hildebrand of Rutherford Social Services. Last year the average was under 200 bags per month; this year it's been well over 200, with 230 bags given out in April and 285 in January. The Carlstadt branch of the Center for Food Action has seen its number of clients double in the past few months, according to site manager Soo Eo.

And the demand is only likely to grow. Donations usually peak around Thanksgiving and Christmas and decrease dramatically during the summer months, according to Marianne Sokolnicki-Mackey, a member of the Social Concerns Committee at the Queen of Peace Church in North Arlington.

"The summer is rough," said Sokolnicki-Mackey. "Sometimes people think people are only hungry during Thanksgiving and Christmas." Donations decrease during the summer in part because the schools, some of the pantries' most regular contributors, are closed. At the same time families who may have children who qualify for free lunch at school suddenly have to find a way to provide that extra amount until next September.

"We're desperate for anything," said Eo. "Everything's gone up."

Another problem is that regular contributors aren't able to donate as much as they used to. "We're getting donations," said Sokolnicki-Mackey. "The spirit is there but the amount people can afford is less… I think everyone's finding it more difficult [to donate]."

One of the changes Hildebrand has noticed is that more families have been coming for assistance rather than individuals and single people. Sokolnicki-Mackey agreed, noting that Queen of Peace has been getting more families and individuals who, because of the rising costs, have only just recently dipped below the point where they can afford their own food.

"People have been losing jobs, rent's been going up," said Sokolnicki-Mackey. "Some people just need something to tie them over."

"People say, 'Oh not in Rutherford,'" said Hildebrand. "But you never know what goes on… There's loss of unemployment [and] people who are getting jobs are making less."

Monetary donations are also much appreciated, since it gives pantries a chance to purchase some of the most under-donated items, such as toilet paper, tissues, paper towels, napkins, soap, detergent and deodorant. These items are particularly in demand because they can't be purchased with food stamps. Hildebrand noted that toilet paper is the most frequently requested item of any kind.

The Rutherford Community Food Pantry updates a list every month of the items that are most in need. The list can be found at http://www.rutherford-nj.com/america.asp#foodlist.