Although some food cupboards in Butler County are meeting a growing need for help, others say they are falling behind.

According to the Butler County Community Action and Development Agency, which distributes food to the cupboards, the widening gap is no illusion.

Local sites are serving an average of 1,759 families per month, said Debbie Gould, who coordinates distribution. That number has increased by about 100 families each year since 2003-04, when totals averaged 1,460.

Gould said funds from the state purchase program will also drop by about $7,000 in the coming year — from $182,646 this year to $175,622.

"I know the USDA food has dropped considerably in the last year," she said of the surplus foods the agency distributes to cupboards for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A few sites, which include the Feed My Sheep food cupboard in Slippery Rock, say they are keeping up with demand.

Connie Emmett, director, attributes that pantry's success to a level of need that has stabilized. Food drives from schools, including Slippery Rock University, also help, she added.

But others like the St. Vincent de Paul Society on Elm Street say their challenge is growing.

"We feed 1,500 people a month. That's 500 families, roughly," said director Nick Monday, noting St. Vincent de Paul is among the few that distribute proteins like meat and cheese in addition to more standard, nonperishable foods.

"Since last year, we've probably doubled (our client base). ... The way this month is showing up, it looks like we'll probably break that record."

Although St. Vincent de Paul initially aimed to serve one zip code area, clients have begun to come from outlying communities like Lyndora, where no food pantries exist.

"No one leaves here without food," Monday said. "We don't turn anybody away."

"Our biggest problem is keeping the pipeline full."

A variety of local businesses and church councils aid St. Vincent de Paul, and venison donations appear every year from the local Hunters Sharing the Harvest coalition.

But "It's just never enough," Monday said.

"Now, we're probably close to 85 percent of what we should have, but the big thing is getting enough protein. We buy the protein items ... to the tune of about $1,000 a month."

Amy Tebay, office manager at the Salvation Army on Cunningham Street, said that cupboard serves between 150 and 175 families, but those numbers also are rising.

"We seem to be getting more and more new families every month," Tebay said.

"A lot are coming earlier in the month now. So families that would normally wait until the end of the month are kind of getting shafted.

"By the third week of the month, we're very low. We're usually scrounging to see what we can find."

"It's definitely harder to take care of everyone," she said.