The director estimates that at current levels of demand, the food pantry can only stay open for about a year.
Donations to the Aurora Food Pantry are at “all-time lows” as demand for the food bank's services soars.
Empty shelves are lining the food bank's warehouse on Industrial Parkway in Aurora. Tall, Costco-style shelves once filled with pasta, beans and other items now hold empty wooden crates.
Food pantries typically purchase staples like milk, eggs and cheese, as well as produce like vegetables and potatoes, but now they have to buy non-perishable foods that were previously reliably donated.
“Years ago, we would get so much peanut butter and so much pasta, and we would make a list of things we didn't need,” said Sandra Seepohl, executive director of the Aurora Food Pantry. “Now, when people ask me that question, I say, 'We need all of it.'”
The organization has been forced to dip into its reserve funds, but Seepohl estimates the food bank can survive another year or two if donations and demand remain constant.
“We would definitely be in trouble,” she said.
The drop in donations comes at a time of huge demand: Mr Seepole said donation numbers began to increase from July last year, with more than 1,200 people using the food bank's services each month since Christmas.
This figure is double compared to the same period two years ago, when around 600 people a month were using the food bank in April 2022.
“Donations need to continue to grow or at least remain constant, otherwise we will run out of donations, which is what we will eventually do if things don't improve,” she said.
Seepole said the food pantry has many volunteers but has had to turn away new volunteers because there isn't enough food to sort.
“We're doing our best and trying to find partnerships that work and resources to continue to serve our clients, but it's hard to be optimistic about things.”
“At a ground level, why are people using food banks? If that doesn't change, how can we expect people to stop using us?”
Mr Seepohl acknowledged that food banks are a “Band-Aid solution”, adding that he was not optimistic the situation would improve unless more was done to tackle the root causes of food insecurity.
“The argument is that food banks shouldn't exist and if they didn't, the government would be forced to make policy changes to allow people to buy food,” she said. “That's a dilemma, because that's true, but what do we do in the meantime?”
Seepol said that while there are government subsidies for things like equipment — the food pantry recently used grant money to buy a new freezer — there is no money to buy food.
“I would be happy if they gave me money, wouldn't I? I would be happy if someone from the government, at some level, could help me buy food.”
The Aurora Food Pantry is located at 350 Industrial Parkway South.
Monetary donations can be made online and more information on arranging the food drive and what to donate can be found here.
Donation drop-off times are Tuesday 8am to 3pm, Wednesday 10am to 2pm, Thursday 1pm to 7:30pm and Saturday 8am to noon. After-hours donations can be dropped off at Central York Fire Station 4-3, 220 Edward St.
Customer service hours are Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 11:20 AM, Thursday from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM, and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Reservations can be made online.
