By Patrick Cooley
MERCER COUNTY — The good news is that Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County will be getting $188,000 from Pennsylvania this week, nearly three months later than it usually gets its allocation from the state budget.
The bad news is that in a tight budget year, the warehouse has seen its funding cut by 1 percent — $2,000 — while food prices are expected to go up 3 percent.
The food pantry is expecting to get the state money it was promised the day before Thanksgiving.
The food warehouse wasn’t alone in waiting for the state to come through with the cash this year as a months-long standoff over balancing the state’s budget impacted a host of organizations that depend on public funding.
The budget battle left many local social service agencies wondering it they would get anything at all.
When the final budget came through, the food pantry fared better than some, getting only a 1 percent cut in their funding from the state, but the group’s director said they would have need an increase to continue to offer the same services.
“It starts to add up with the prices of food (going up),” said Lori Weston, executive director of the food warehouse. “If the prices of food haven’t come down, then you can buy less with what you have.”
The USDA has projected that by the end of 2009, food prices in the United States will have increased 3 percent from 2008, and will probably continue to rise next year.
In the meantime, the food warehouse is trying to make up for the difference by having fundraisers and food drives.
In the holiday season, Weston said, people seem to be more willing to participate in those activities; it’s in the summer months when food donations wane.
On the Net: www.foodwarehouse.org
