Food bank donations down sharply

Some of the nation's bigger food charities and food banks are reporting that donations have continued long-standing declines, decreases that may well continue through the holidays.

Officials at the charities fear that donor fatigue may have set in, with people's charitable instincts stretched to the limit in a year of an uncommon number of tragedies....

Less food, more people who need it
Those dire situations had a parallel in America's growing food needs. An October report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that 2004 was the fifth consecutive year in which the number of Americans in households at risk of hunger increased. The number of people living in what the USDA calls 'food-insecure' households rose to 38.2 million last year, including 13.8 million children....


A bright spot, in cans
For City Harvest's Barrick, the outlook isn't entirely bleak. "The good news is in local donations," she said. "Canned goods are still coming in. We're finding that individuals in New York want to donate, and we're very fortunate to have canned food drives that are going strong. Those donations are on a par with last year."