At a time when the economy is forcing more people to seek nutritional aid and fewer people are in a position to help, U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, R-16th, of East Marlborough, is seeking answers.
To that end, he is visiting area food cupboards to determine how they are doing and what he can to do help.
On Tuesday morning, armed with 36 pounds of butter, he and several staff members stopped at the Oxford Area Neighborhood Services building and talked with case manager Carla Brown. As he hauled the box of butter to the table, he said he had heard that it, along with eggs and milk, are among the greatest needs.
Pitts said he hopes to undertake a survey of stakeholders at the food cupboards and find out what their priorities are and if there are certain regional differences in what people consume based on their cultural backgrounds.
He also said he is aiming to modify the Good Samaritan Act, a law that holds blameless someone who is attempting to help but might cause harm in the process. Pitts used as an example enabling food cupboard administrators to place out for consumption canned goods that are past expiration date but only by a month.
Pitts said food cupboards get some foodstuffs from the federal government and money from the state. He said Chester County has a large warehouse that acts as a distribution point for federal food.
Another project he described was the Chester County gleaning program through which farmers and gardeners plant extra fresh produce and pass it on to feed those in need.
Brown said the Oxford Neighborhood Services food cupboard gives out food boxes to an average of 66 families a month, or more than 786 a year.
She said the requests for help have increased dramatically in the past year — by almost 40 percent. And at the same time, fewer people have been able to give, she said.
She said April, May and June — before the state budget is passed — are traditionally the leanest months for the food cupboard.
Still, she said many individuals drop off nonperishable foods to help stock the facility.
For more information on the food cupboard, call 610-932-8557.