“Some of the stories are heartbreaking,” said Marlene Murphy, director of the Sumner Community Food Bank.

“Two weeks ago I sat down and cried.”

She speaks of the tales of hardship leading people to seek assistance at the food bank. The people who use the food bank are a varied group of community members who are young and old, veterans, from different educational backgrounds. Some are living in motels, others in cars or at the homes of friends or family. Others have no place to stay at all.

November ushers in the busiest time of year for food banks such as the Sumner Community Food Bank, and while every year shows a delicate balance of food supply to the community’s need, this year’s supply is especially lean.

Murphy said typically 32,000 pounds of food arrives each month and 29,000 pounds are sent out.

“So we’re just barely hanging on,” Murphy said.

There are several events during the year which bring in donations.

“The community really supports our food bank,” Murphy said.

The food bank’s supply comes from annual events such as donations at Mutts off Main, the mail carriers drive, which brought in 11,000 pounds this year, the Sunset Chevrolet drive, as well as donations from grocery stores.

“Sunset Chevrolet really comes through for us every year,” Murphy said.

Another source is the Sumner Community Garden, the growers of which donated 11,000 pounds of food produce.

Emergency Food Network is one of the bank’s largest providers of food, delivering 4,000 pounds per month, and at a meeting of 48 food banks affiliated with the network, Murphy learned of the difficulty facing food banks this season.

While annual food drive events occur throughout the year, personal donations are always needed.

“We’re really at the very low ebb of what we have on our shelves,” Murphy said.

Helping to get the food out is a staff of about 80 volunteers who fill a variety of positions such as transporting food and scheduling appointments for people to visit the food bank and collect food.

Murphy describes the Sumner Community Food Bank as a combination food bank, meaning people may select individual items from the shelves as well as collect a bag of already assorted items. Some food banks allow visitors to do one of the two.

Regardless of whether they come packaged in a grocery bag or are taken from the shelves one at a time, there are items the food bank needs more than others.

Due the increased cost of peanut butter area food banks no longer receive it from Northwest Harvest, which is supplying chicken as a protein source instead.

The item is always wanted at the food bank because peanut butter is filling, nourishing, and lasts a long time. Murphy said many don’t have refrigeration units and peanut butter lasts without one.

Now much needed at the food bank, not only because of the drop in supply, but “Peanut butter is my new mantra,” Murphy said.

For people without a residence and who therefore store their food in a container such as a backpack, it is ideal to carry with a loaf of bread to make a sandwich. The number of people without a residence visiting the food bank increased.

Also needed are hygiene items such as shampoo, soap, toothbrushes and toilet paper. The food bank keeps frozen meats and refrigerated items, but canned and packaged goods which don’t need to be kept cold are always in demand. Some who visit don’t have their power on, Murphy said.

Donations of baby food, baby formula and diapers are welcome at the food bank as are donations of pet food. Murphy said many don’t have the means to feed their animals.

“People are having to give away their pets,” she said.

More dog food is typically brought in than cat food, so more dry cat food donations are encouraged.

“We’re seeing homelessness up,” she said.

Need in general is up, with 239 families being seen each month instead of the usual 100 around this time each year. There is an increase in blended families arriving, she said, meaning families who are living at the home of relatives. Still, Murphy said, this is not the highest volume of food bank visitors in recent memory. When gas was $4 a gallon, there were more coming in for supplies.

“The working poor had to choose between food and getting to work,” she said.

While working at the food bank can be an emotionally draining experience, she said she loves seeing people watch out for each other and the system work at the local level to provide food to everyone who comes in.

“There’s a strong network in the community,” she said.

She is anticipating between 300 to 350 families in December, so donations are encouraged. Food bank hours for donations are 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. People are encouraged to make an appointment to come pick up food. For more information call 253-863-3793.