John Patterson remembers the first night he slept on the streets.
"It was cold," Mr. Patterson, 55, of Scranton, said. "I was lost and confused. I had no idea how I was going to support myself."
Over the next 30 years, Mr. Patterson changed locations - moving from wooded areas to under a bridge - built new relationships and constantly went back and forth with ideas of how he would "rise."
The only constant during that time period, he said, is where he got his food.
"Food banks," said Mr. Patterson, who is enrolled in the United Neighborhood Centers permanent supportive housing program. "Without the food banks, I don't know what would have happened to me. I'd probably be dead by now."
For decades, food banks in Lackawanna County have served as the backbone for hundreds of hungry families.
Now that group of consumers is growing. It's no longer just the homeless or low-income families who frequent food banks - people with jobs are making stops as well now to compensate for the high grocery prices and increasing utility bills.
"Agencies across the board are seeing double digit increases in requests for help," said Gary Drapek, president of United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, which oversees 23 partner agencies in Lackawanna County. "The requests are coming from people who have never asked for help before. We're seeing a lot of new faces."
Alone, Angel's Attic, the food pantry at United Neighborhood Centers' community service building feed 477 individuals in October - a 6 percent increase over last year's total, said Michael Hanley, the executive director of United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The Bread Basket of NEPA Pantry System saw a similar increase.
The organization, which has seven sites located throughout Lackawanna County, including one at 550 Madison Ave., handed out 7,646 bags filled with nonperishable foods from June 2011 to June 2012 - the most per fiscal year in the organization's history, executive director Sandra Roberts said.
"There are a lot of new faces," Ms. Roberts said. "The educational level no longer seems to be indicative of people using the pantry system. People with college degrees are coming for food, too."
But while the demand for food has increased at food banks countywide, the supply has slipped - a result of a statewide slash to social services funding and fewer donations, Mr. Drapek said.
The Bread Basket of NEPA needs to replace a 19.8 percent, or $26,000, decrease in funding - a shortage they are trying to offset by organizing a holiday campaign, in which they are asking families to donate money for canned ham.
So far, the organization has received six donations, totaling around $400. Ms. Roberts said every $100 can feed about 48 people.
"Financially, this has been most difficult it's been since I got here five years ago," Ms. Roberts said.
And the future appears to be no brighter.
The unemployment rate for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro area was 9.6 in July, the highest rate in the county. Meanwhile, one in every three children in Scranton lived in poverty in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Those numbers underscore what officials already know: More people will be relying on these food services.
"With an increased dependency on these food banks, you have to wonder whether organizations like this are sustainable," said Mr. Hanley, who, just last month, had to turn people away because the shelter's shelves were bare.
"Some of the people who are coming in now used to volunteer here," he said. "It's a last resort for them. They are embarrassed to come in, but they don't have any alternative."
Though the Bread Basket of NEPA has never turned anyone away, Ms. Roberts acknowledges the brown paper bags aren't as full as they used to be.
"I am concerned about the well-rounded nourishment for the first time," Ms. Roberts said. "We have had to cut back on proteins and fruits already. Honestly, there is a concern that these programs aren't sustainable."
Located in downtown Scranton, St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen hasn't taken quite the hit that food banks in the area have, said Tom "Chick" DePietro, St. Francis head chef.
The donations are down, but because the food is immediately cooked - and not stored on the shelves - it largely goes unnoticed.
Still, Mr. DePietro said he is worried for the next couple years, citing the growing number of people who visit the soup kitchen on a daily basis.
"We've seen a 5 percent increase in the customer base since last year," Mr. DePietro said. "Eventually, if it continues like this, we won't be able to support some hungry residents."
Standing outside Angel's Attic, Mr. Patterson greeted residents Thursday as they walked out the front door, holding bags filled with nonperishable foods.
These days, Mr. Patterson no longer waits in line at food banks - he relies on food stamps and the monthly allowance he receives from the UNC to get by.
He's unemployed, and he spends most of his day volunteering at Angel's Attic - a place, where he has no defined role or responsibility, yet he relinquishes every moment he spends there.
"I get to meet a lot of great people who need this place," said Mr. Patterson, as held the door for a resident leaving the center. "I figure as long as I am here, it means this place is still operating. And that's the most important thing."
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