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Source: Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, IowaAug.迷你倉出租 13--CHARLES CITY, Iowa -- Families in need in Charles City have to look elsewhere for food as Messiah's Food Pantry is temporarily closed with bare shelves.The food bank has been serving more residents lately, and when supplies started to run low it was unable to coordinate a food delivery from Northeast Iowa Food Bank of Waterloo."We had a call about a week ago that they needed more food, but we weren't able to get anything up to them because our truck was in the shop," said Barbara Prather, executive director of Northeast Iowa Food Bank. "We offered to pull an order for them to pick up, but they couldn't send anyone. They're getting their scheduled delivery this Wednesday."The Northeast Iowa Food Bank delivers to 107 agencies outside of Black Hawk County once a month, along with providing food for other local programs. If agencies run out of food before their scheduled delivery, they can place an order online with the Northeast Iowa Food Bank and pick it up after three days.The food bank has four trucks, but deliveries to various agencies are scheduled a month in advance.The Rev. Debra Lincoln of Jordan River Church, which operates Messiah's Food Pantry, said it serves 800 to 900 people. Lincoln, who couldn't be reached for comment, told the Mason City Globe Gazette that those numbers are increasing.Prather said this is a trend everywhere.In June alone, Northeast Iowa Food Bank and the agencies it serves provided food for almost 25,000 people."I think it's a combination of our services changing, people having a harder time making ends meet and higher grocery prices," Prather said.Northeast Iowa Food Bank's up儲存倉ated facility, with more refrigerator and freezer space, has allowed it to take on more perishable items. Food pantry programs also have changed from a system of workers giving out food to one where residents come in and choose their food. Prather thinks this has contributed to increases use."It's like a mini grocery store now. There's better variety, and people are choosing what they want, not just being given food," Prather said.The food bank depends on donations from programs like Feeding America, Target, Walmart and Hy-Vee distribution centers, farmers and government commodities. It supplements donations with purchases, and has had to buy a lot more food lately.Another issue for food banks is a trend toward "just in time" manufacturing by food companies."Manufacturers are leaner in how they produce food now," Prather said. "They don't manufacture things until right before they go on shelves. The excess inventories we used to get aren't there anymore."Donations also slow down during summer months, while families' need for food increases when children aren't in school. The food bank is looking for more ways to bring in food."I don't like to see anyone run out of food. We try to work with agencies the best we can," Prather said.Inventory at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank is steady, Prather said, but it can always use more donations and volunteers."If someone could have come and picked up the food for the Charles City food bank, that would have really helped," Prather said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) Visit Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa) at .wcfcourier.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉沙田