When the food pantry at the Harlem Dowling-West Side Center for Children and Family Services opens its doors on Tuesdays and Fridays, the hallways are crowded, and staff members say they attempt to stay upbeat while inundated with work.
Recently, organizers say, there has been a significant increase in the number of West Harlem residents seeking support from the Emergency Food Assistance Program at the Harlem Dowling-West Side Center, a nonprofit on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.
Administrators worry that decreased philanthropy will lead to continued losses in funding and volunteers, which could cripple their services.
“It’s just been one budget cut after another since 2007,” Executive Director of the center Dorothy Worrell said. “We’re operating with much less funding … and, in particular, where we see it most acutely is in Emergency Food Assistance Program.”
The food pantry serves those in need of support due to mental and physical health issues, financial hardship, and unemployment.
At the same time as funds decline, the number of people coming to the center’s pantry since the summer of 2007 has dramatically increased. Worell said that in 2009-2010, her pantry served almost 5000 people.
“That’s unheard of for us. We’re not a large pantry,” she said, explaining that the pantry often runs out of food and has to refer people to others in the area.
Director of Specialized Services Cherie Blae said that, despite struggles, the staff members maintain a positive atmosphere by remaining humble. “It’s something that’s historical with us, no matter what we do, how many people we serve.”
Blae added, “The way that things are going today in the nation, any of us could be at that doorstep at any time, and we would certainly want to be respected.”
Worrell said the organization has noted several changing trends in the demographic makeup of the population it serves, particularly with the increase in families and unemployed middle-aged individuals seeking assistance.
“Believe it or not, we’re seeing more middle-aged people showing up,” she said, adding that this is “illustrative of what is going on in the larger employment market.”
Additionally, more extended families are making use of the service, she said, since job loss brings families together in housing.
The number of elderly who are coming to the Emergency Food Assistance Program is yet another drain on resources and an indicator of the severity of the recession for West Harlem residents, organizers said.
The center is looking to up its efforts, seeking donations on their website and asking volunteers to bring in as many nonperishable foods as possible.
“I think there’s something wrong when we don’t have the ability or the capacity to feed the elderly in our community,” Worrell said.
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