Food pantry shelves nearly empty

"It's going out faster than it's coming in," said Paul Rowley of the Meredith Emergency Food Pantry. The hard winter and weak economy, along with rising prices for food and fuel, have left the shelves nearly empty, he said.

Rowley said demand for foodstuffs has risen every month throughout the winter and donations, whether in cash or kind, have failed to keep pace. "We are not only seeing those we have assisted in the past but also people we've never ever seen before," he said. "I just don't know how people are handling the high prices of food, gas and heating oil."

"Our shelves may as well be empty," Rowley said, adding that the pantry is purchasing 90-percent of the food and paper products it is distributing. "We will be grateful for any and all donations of non-perishable food products," he said. "We've had some very generous contributions from local churches that gave us a shot in the arm, but it's all been spent."

Rowley said that donations can be made at the Meredith Emergency Food Pantry at 147 Main Street on Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.