Director of Operations John Ask said food supplies and donations to the Arizona Central Food Bank are down "significantly," and have been for the last six months.
"It's been an extra long dry spell," he said. "We thought there might be a problem with our distributor, but we found out they are having problems too. This is stretched out across the state."
Reasons are speculated, but unknown.
Old Town Mission Director Bryan Detwiler said a slump is common in February after the holidays.
"Also, what we're seeing is an upsurge in need," he added. "We're seeing more clients -- we're seeing a lot of new people in the area."
This could be caused from the slump in the housing market, resulting in more layovers in the construction industry, he said. Also, it is possible people are losing their jobs in other areas and coming here.
Whatever the reason, the bottom line is people are hungry and food is limited.
Ask said the food bank usually distributes roughly 1.5 million pounds of food each year and helps about 15 different agencies. The decline in donations has resulted in a lack of supplies, which have ultimately caused the food bank to start making cuts.
"We had about 15 different agencies we were helping," Ask said. "We've had to stop helping them because we're running out of food. Supplies have been depleted that much."
Detwiler said the Old Town Mission had one of its best years last year; however, this year "we really have to be careful how we use our resources."
To find information about donating visit www.oldtownmission.org (634-7869) or www.centralazfoodband.org (634-7447).
