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The cold weather has arrived, bringing along winter heating costs and seasonal layoffs. The combined effect has meant a steady increase in volume at area food pantries and at the county’s social services department.

Jane Motowski, director of the Rhinelander Food Pantry, said her organization tallied 706 household visits in November, 200 more than this time last year.

“I talked to the people in Lakeland and Eagle River and their visits are up too,” said Motowski.

Motowski said that food drives organized by businesses and strong seasonal giving have allowed the pantry to keep pace with demand. Still, she worries about making it through to spring.

“We have put a little aside. It doesn’t take long to go through $15,000 in a month,” Motowski said. “It’s coming in, but as more and more people get short it will just get harder and harder.”

Pam Winkelman, co-director of the Lakeland Food Pantry, has witnessed a similar increase in traffic. Winkelman said her organization is feeding between 350 and 400 families a week. At that rate the Lakeland Food Pantry goes through around $12,000 per month.

Winkelman said the community has risen to the challenge of providing food to more and more struggling families.

“We have been approached by people in the community saying they’re going to keep their money close to home this year and help their own community with it. I feel like the community here has taken it up a couple of notches,” said Winkelman.

In January, the Lakeland Food Pantry will move into a permanent home made possible by a generous donation of a building on a 2.5-acre lot by Bob and Teri Weirauch.

Winkelman said the pantry recently completed a successful winter jacket drive. She also said that the organization’s cost per person has remained stable in spite of food pressure across the region.

“We track out cost per person and per family and that has not changed,” Winkelman said. “The number of people is what’s changed.”

Motowski said the pressure on Second Harvest, a national food bank wholesaler, has increased her costs in Rhinelander.

“It’s a big difference if you can get a box of cereal for $.25 instead of $1.50,” Motowski said.

More and more families struggling to put enough food on the table are also using the county’s programs to supplement their food budgets.

Loretta Rolain, economic support supervisor for the Oneida County Department of Social Services, said numbers have risen in the county’s food stamp program also. As of October, the county had 1,239 cases open in the program, up from 1,077 in October 2007.

Rolain said the food stamp program followed a more seasonal ebb and flow in the past, but recently numbers have remained steady over the course of the year.

Food stamps are a federal subsidy that can offer food assistance from as little as $14 per month to as much as $176 per month to help with the cost burden of groceries. Once qualified, participants receive a discreet “Quest” card that can be used for electronic payment at participating stores.

Rolain said her office is responsible for processing applications, not for deciding how people use the money.

“It’s not our job to judge what they spend their food stamps on,” Rolain said. “It’s our job to accurately assess their eligibility for the program.”

But, Rolain said, the Oneida County Health Department does offer a nutrition education program along with its WIC program and the UW-Extension has a nutrition specialist available to help families learn to stretch their food budgets in healthy ways.

One of the biggest challenges facing household food budgets is access to affordable meat protein. In past years, according to Motowski, the annual deer harvest has provided a good source. Last year the Rhinelander Food Pantry gave away 1,200 pounds of venison. The pantry goes through almost 500 pounds of hamburger meat per week.

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