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Fact Box

Area food pantries:

Belpre Food Pantry, 2300 Washington Blvd., Belpre; 423-2069.

Beverly/Waterford Food Pantry, P.O. Box 7, Beverly; 984-2807.

New Matamoras Food Pantry, P.O. Box 205, New Matamoras; 865-2990.

L.A.M.B. Food Pantry and Thrift Shop, 309 Walnut St., Lowell.

Marietta Church of God Food Pantry, 501 Colegate Drive, Marietta; 373-4219.

Community Food Pantry, 318 Front St., Marietta; 373-5741.

Newport Food Pantry, P.O. Box 145, Newport; 473-2900.

Tri-County Food Pantry, 1040 Paw Creek Road, Lower Salem; 585-2143.

Western Washington County Food Pantry, P.O. Box 151, Vincent; 678-1065 or 678-2189.

INCOME GUIDELINES

Household income per year must be at or below the following to take food from pantries:

One person, $21,659.

Two people, $29,139

Three people, $36,619.

Four people, $44,099.

Five people, $51,579.

Source: Community Food Pantry.

The busiest time of the year is approaching for local food pantries.

"Whenever people are spending the most money on their family is when we see an increased need for food," said Scott Britton, director of the Community Food Pantry in Marietta.

Britton said so far his pantry has not seen an increase in need this year compared to last year, but this has been a record year for donations.

"Some other pantries have been struggling as far as donations go, but we're lucky because we have lots of church and community groups helping us, as well as schools," he said.

Britton added that food pantries in some outlying areas may not have as many groups helping them and those areas often have more people in need of food.

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services sets income requirements which must be met for an individual to get food from the pantry.

"The income guidelines are based on 200 percent of the poverty level or below, based on the size of the family," said Britton.

Britton added that families or individuals cannot receive food from the Marietta pantry more than six times a year.

"The limit used to be eight times a year," he said. "We had to go down to six because of the economy and the increase in demand."

This limit isn't the same at all the local food pantries. Jo Teters, co-director of the Beverly-Waterford Food Pantry, said individuals or families are permitted to get food from the pantry once a month.

"We've been able to do that because of all the donations we've received," she said.

Teters added that there has been an increase in need from last year to this year, but donations have also increased.

"Our communities support us tremendously. We have an outpouring of support. The donations, both food and monetary, continue to come in," she said.

The community will again have another opportunity to support the county's pantries in the coming weeks with the annual Send Help campaign, sponsored by The Marietta Times and WMOA-AM 1490. People will be encouraged to send in donations to the pantries along with coupons that will be printed in upcoming issues of the paper.