· During the 2nd and 3rd quarters of FY11 the number of new clients went down substantially (9.7% & 7.7%) while the number of returning clients continued to grow. Fewer people were making more trips to the food banks, indicating that those receiving help had a deeper need.
· The above point is substantiated by the fact that the average number of visits per client per year rose from 5.0, where it had been for 5 years, to 5.6 times per year. This is a significant increase, 12%.
· In the 4th quarter of FY11 the number of new clients began to climb again, decreasing from the previous year by only 1.4%. With the first quarter data of this year we find that the number of new clients have climbed back up almost to last year’s figures, a disturbing trend.
· The number of visits (new + returning) continues to climb, to just under 2 million for the first quarter of this year alone. Keep in mind that the July-Sept quarter has had the fewest number of visits of all the 4 quarters for the last 4 years.
· The strain on food banks is apparent. The number of pounds of food given to each person per visit decreased in FY11, the first time in the program’s history that this statistic has gone down.
· Also perhaps indicative of the times, the value of donated food decreased by over $24 million in FY11 from FY10 and that was even without in-kind food reported by one contractor last year. That equates to over 16 million pounds less of donated food, using the state’s current value of $1.50 per pound. The overall pounds of food distributed increased by slightly over 2 million pounds, leading one to the conclusion that food banks and distribution centers had to purchase more food in FY11 than the previous year.
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