Local food banks are seeing a decrease in donations, but an increase in people needing assistance during the recession.

“Donations are down, but the need is up,” according to Stew Bowen, director of the Bonney Lake and Bread of Life food banks.

Bowen, who finished his second year as director, said there’s a need for more donations, money and volunteers at his facilities.

“Actually we’re up from where we were last year, food wise,” he said. “But more families are needing assistance. When I started here we were averaging 100 families, now we’re up to 500.”

At the Bonney Lake Food Bank, Bowen said they are seeing about 45 families each day the facility is open. The Bonney Lake and Bread of Life food banks are open three days a week.

“If you look at the number of people we serve and the amount of food coming from the community, we’re still getting about the same amount as last year,” Bowen said.

Recently the food banks made a few changes, like eliminating appointments and letting people come twice a month.

Bowen said not everyone comes twice a month at the Bonney Lake and Pine Ridge locations, but some come when it is convenient.

“We traditionally we see it pick up as school starts and as the holiday approaches,” he said. “Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.”

Bowen said he and his staff have worked hard during the last two years bringing additional foods to the facilities.

“If we had to operate on what we currently have now, we could provide two days of service,” he noted.

He said the food banks are receiving food from the local Walmart, Alberton’s, Safeway, Grocery Outlet and Fred Meyer stores, along with Starbucks donating pastries to the food banks.

“It took us two years to get into Walmart,” Bowen said. “Some things had to happen. The community step up and helped us get our refrigerated truck and other people donated items which made it possible for us to go to Walmart and do grocery rescuing.”

The food bank picks up food from the stores seven days a week.

Bowen said the food banks have been receiving a lot of produce from local grocery stores and farmers.

“The farmers are giving us some good stuff, but is soon coming to an end,” noted Bowen.

Bowen said he and volunteers are working on rearranging the setup of the food bank similar to a grocery store.

He said currently when a single person comes to the food bank, they receive one can of soup, one can of a tomato product, one Hamburger Helper, one can of vegetable, one can of protein and one can of fruit. With two people, it doubles and so on.

“Our goal is to be consistent with the standard,” Bowen explained.

The standard is three meals a day for three days per person in the household.

For example, Bowen said, a can of chili has two servings, but it can be stretched out.

“A family can add macaroni or beans to a can of chili and stretch it out,” he said.

Bowen said some people in their early 20s may not know how to cook.

“Most of the younger generation coming up are ‘heat-and-eat’ people,” Bowen said. “How do you cook beans or how do you prepare certain types of foods?”

Marlene Murphy, director of the Sumner Food Bank, said her facility is also needing more donations for the increase in people needing assistance.

She said during a meeting of the Pierce County Emergency Food Network, officials told her to look for an increase of people needing food in the upcoming months.

Murphy said the number of people coming to her food bank has doubled in the past 18 months.

“We’re seeing about 300 families a month now at the food bank,” Murphy said. “We are in short supply of many food items.”

She said the Sumner Food Bank needs more donations of peanut butter, tuna fish, canned tomatoes, canned fruit, pastas and personal care items.

The food bank can also use donated school supplies for students.

Murphy also said the food bank is seeing more homeless families and multi-generations of families living in a single dwelling.

“It is kind of a frighting time for people during these troubled economic times,” Murphy said.

She added her food bank is preparing for earlier food drives to help families during the holidays. They’ll begin in October instead of November, she said.