Economy Sends More Hungry to Soup Kitchens

Food pantries and soup kitchens in the state are seeing an increase in the number of new patrons.

National food bank organization Feeding America is trying to quantify how many first-time patrons have been forced to food pantries as the economy has nose-dived.

In Manhattan, the Westside Campaign Against Hunger fed more than 3,000 households in October through its food bank program, and about 15 percent were first-time families. That's compared with October 2007, when about 12 percent of the families were seeking help for the first time.

The concern is that as the economy worsens, more families and individuals will rely on food banks and pantries for the first time. Meanwhile, state and local governments are reducing spending in social services in the face of deficits.

According to Feeding America's most recent data, more than 2 million people in New York state used food pantries or soup kitchens in 2005.