The numbers are up at the Cleveland Food Bank, but that's not necessarily a good thing, according Executive Director Anne Goodman. She says her operation increased it's food distribution by five percent over the past year, without a corresponding increase in donations. And Food Bank services are spread across a big territory.
Anne Goodman: We cover Cuyahoga County, as well as Ashland, Richland, Lake, Geauga, and Ashtabula. And poverty looks quite different in Ashtabula city than it does in the Hough area, for example. We need to be all things to all people, and to meet them where they are.
The Cleveland Foodbank serves 150,000 people each year. Goodman says 35% of those are children, another 12% are seniors --- both "high risk" populations in particular need of nutritious and healthy foods. In addition to local donations, the national foodbank organization is lobbying Congress to increase federal support.
