VERONA (KDKA) — For local food pantries, the costs are rising and so is the number of families that need help.

KDKA’s Kym Gable visited the Community Food Bank at Rosedale United Methodist Church in Verona on its weekly distribution night.

Coordinator John Dick says his volunteers can’t distribute as much as they used to.

The Food Bank services about 800 households, an increase of over 150 from last year.

“We have to come up with between $300 and $500 a week to keep running and not even come close to what we had before. We used to give (families) two boxes plus a freezer box,” said Dick.

The Verona charity now has to pay more to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for some of the items. That agency supplies food to 350 facilities in Allegheny County alone.

CEO Lisa Scales told Gable, “We’re challenged because of the increase in fuel costs, the increase in food prices and the government cuts we’re facing. This year alone, we’re facing over half a million dollars in government cuts.”

The Food Bank is encouraging people to make monetary and food donations, especially during the holiday season.

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