A 14 percent increase in the distribution of emergency food over last year has the Hawaii Foodbank lobbying donors for more despite successful drives throughout the year.

Continued layoffs and rising food and gasoline prices could force more people to tap the food bank's resources, so the nonprofit group is planning for the worst and working to ensure that food will be available when people most need it.

"Because of those combination of factors people are finding it hard to make ends meet until the end of the month" said Lori Kaya, grants and communication officer for Hawaii Foodbank. "Whether it's to buy food for their families or make payment on their mortgage or rent, it's just really tough overall."

Member agencies, the ones that are distributing food and working directly with people in need are reporting an increase in requests for food, Kaya said.

"They're saying that the need is so much greater that they're having a harder time keeping up with all the people coming to their doors," she said. "Sometimes they have to cut back on the amount of food that they put in their food boxes or serve less people or cut back on their program hours."

CAMPAIGNS FOR HELP

Agencies gave away more than 8.7 million pounds in the year ending in June compared to 7.6 million pounds for the previous year, Kaya said.

The food bank is meeting that rise in demand with campaigns that include newsletters, direct mailings and pleas to markets and producers, including local growers such as Aloun Farms, which is providing fresh produce.

A growing number of food banks across the U.S. are turning to local farms, according to a recent USA Today article. But the Hawaii Foodbank has been doing that for about eight years, after recognizing that people were not getting enough fresh fruits and vegetables, Kaya said.

Aloun Farms has been contributing excess produce to the food bank for about six years. More recently, it has also helped collect canned food during the farm's public pumpkin patch tours on weekends in October, where it asks visitors to donate a can of food and in return receive a mini pumpkin, said Terry Phillips, the farm's head of marketing and public relations.

FARMS DONATE PRODUCE

The farm donated 251,228 pounds of produce to Hawaii Foodbank last year and 1,856 pounds of canned food from the pumpkin tours, Phillips said, adding that school groups that toured during the week started bringing canned goods even though they weren't asked to.

"The children were getting together and helping to take care of other Island families," she said.

The Hawaii Foodbank distributes food to between 250 and 270 agencies, including 29 that provide fresh fruit and vegetables in 19 communities.

While farms are glad their produce isn't going to waste, they say it's not good business practice to have unsold food.

May's Wonder Garden has been contributing to the Hawaii Foodbank for at least six years, said Duane Lau, whose father started the business in 1999 after selling Palama Meats.

"When I started getting involved with the farm (in 2002) the food bank was our second-largest customer," Lau said, adding that he has been working to sell more product and have less surplus.

Still, the 11-acre lettuce farm donates about 20 boxes of produce a month to the food bank depending on the season and who's buying, like schools, he said. He'll be growing for schools but when school is out he has to adjust and its during that adjustment period when extra crops are available.

When there is too much produce, the food bank benefits, he said. "Rather than see something go to waste (we) try to get to a place where it can be used to feed the homeless and hungry."

Food donations to Hawaii Foodbank have declined in the past couple of months but Kaya, with the Hawaii Foodbank, said she expects them to pick up again around October.

"The holidays are when people start to think about others in need," she said.