Lakewood Community Services Center: Need for Assistance Keeps Growing

The story’s the same for many hunger relief organizations across the country: More people are turning to them for assistance.

But there’s less funding for the organizations.

In other words, they’re doing more with less.

It’s no different for .

The Lakewood organization, located at 14230 Madison Avenue, has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of people needing assistance during the past year.

LCSC now provides food to a whopping 14 percent of the city’s population.

Unemployment has played a role, but Trish Rooney, LCSC’s executive director, said there are myriad other reasons why the need keeps growing.

“People are on fixed income,” she said. “It’s the horrendous rising cost of food. If you were on Social Security, you used to be able to feed yourself. People are constantly making trade-offs. Do I pay my gas bill, electric bill or pay for food? That’s what’s happening.” 

Rooney said that nearly 15 percent of LCSC’s visitors reported no household income in 2011. 

“I don’t’ know how people are doing it,” she said. “How do you make it on no income?

“If people can come and get some help for food to help pay their gas bills, that’s OK."

This year, LCSC also took on the task of delivering food to about 250 senior citizens at several senior living centers around Lakewood.

“If you take the seniors out, and compare apples to apples, we’re still 30 percent higher than we were last February,” Rooney said. "There are still lots of new households coming, people we haven’t served before — 10 percent of the people we served in February have never been here before.”

Meanwhile, Rooney said funding to her organization has decreased. 

“We are getting the same county money, but we’re not getting the same from the federal funding. Overall the food funding is down.” 

How can residents help?

“We’re grateful for anything, but truly, the cash donations go the farthest,” Rooney said.

For example, for the $4,400 LCSC gets from the county, it’s able to feed 3,000 people every month.

“The money goes really far,” she said. “Some people like to give food, that’s fine. We’re not going to say ‘no.’ We’re able to provide three meals a day for three days — or nine meals a month — for $1.47.” 

That comes out to about 16 cents per pound. 

And it’s not all about food.

In addition, LCSC also spends money on homeless prevention programs and other supportive housing initiatives.

Founded in 1982, and housed at , the organization got its start when a dozen churches came together because they didn’t have a way to pool their resources.

The organization was run completely by volunteers then. 

LCSC moved to a storefront at the corner of Marlowe and Detroit avenues, where it stayed for 20 years until moving a couple years back to its current home on Madison Avenue.

The organization’s big annual fundraiser, Got Green? — attended by hundreds each year — brought in $40,000 last September.

But there's still need.

“It’s not slowing down," Rooney said. "It’s growing at an increase that we’re not used to seeing.

Lakewood Patch will be supporting LCSC throughout 2012 by writing articles about the pantry’s needs and highlighting the good work they do.

We’ll also get our hands dirty, hosting food drives and pitching in any way we can.

Stay tuned for details.