The inventory of Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan has dropped by 1.5 million pounds of food, while the agency’s distribution from January through September increased by 2.2 million pounds (12.7 percent), compared to the same period in 2006.

Gleaners’ vice president for development, Gerry Brisson, said the food shortage and the increase in food distribution since last year are coincidental. He believes the food shortage comes primarily as a result of more efficient processing by the food companies, resulting in fewer mistakes and overruns. These overruns have accounted for the bulk of food sent to food banks.

“And their margins are tighter, too, so they’ve got to be more efficient for their business’ sake,” Brisson said.

How quickly food donations dropped came as a surprise. Brisson said a 35 percent drop in donations to Gleaners — almost one million pounds of food — since January is significant.

The drop is concurrent with Michigan’s ongoing economic struggles. Brisson said layoffs have had a cumulative effect over the years, as both wage earners in a two-income families eventually find themselves laid off and taking new jobs with lower salaries. That makes for a struggle for families.

Brisson estimates that for every one million pounds of food Gleaners distributes, it serves 10,000 people.

“We serve between two and three million pounds of food a month, so 20,000 to 30,000 people a month are being assisted though the food bank.”

According to the Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM), Gleaners’ annual food distribution comprises 40 percent of the 65 million pounds of food Michigan food banks provide every year. Gleaners distributed 26 million pounds of food through 400 partner agencies.

Brisson emphasized that some food companies give away a certain amount of food each year regardless of their profit margins, but also noted that it is a tight margin business getting tighter every year.

“For them to survive, they need to find ways to cut costs,” he said. “That’s just how the food business is.”

The decline in corporate contributes has a direct connection with the downturn in the state’s economy. Layoffs and buyouts have left some corporations with fewer employees to make charitable donations.

Last month, the United Way’s 2-1-1 emergency call center received the highest volume of calls for service since its inception in December 2005. The most requests from residents in Wayne and Oakland Counties were for food assistance.

Bill Sullivan, manager of the United Way’s 2-1-1 Call Center, said the Call Center is trying to divert people needing food to the most appropriate places.

The 2-1-1 Call Center is helping people in need of food, but is not assisting Gleaners itself. Sullivan said that’s a little outside the Call Center’s spectrum.

Gleaners is using its reserve funds for food emergencies to make sure it fills all the orders of the partnering shelters, soup kitchens and pantries that actually serve people. These contingency funds will last forever, however.

Gleaners currently has enough food in its inventory to last for two weeks. If the food bank gets enough donations, it will have enough food for an additional two weeks. Right now, the food bank is living week by week. Brisson said Gleaners wants a mimimum inventory of four weeks worth of food and a maximum of six weeks. Gleaners’ facilities are sized and operated to have that much inventory.

At the end of September, when Gleaners’ inventory dropped to below enough for a month, it began calling other food banks, food distributors, food brokers and food companies for assistance. The assistance it received has helped, but Gleaners still needs more donations. Brisson said Gleaners’ is a $40 million business, which translates to a little over $3 million per month in food and cash donations to run the food bank.

In better times, Gleaners has helped other communities in need. Brisson said that when Hurricane Katrina hit, Gleaners sent substantial amounts of food to communities in Louisiana and Alabama.

He also noted that the economic impact of the tens of thousands of lost jobs in Michigan is on a comparable scale to something like Katrina.

While food donations are always welcome, Brisson pointed out, a monetary donation are better. For the same amount the average person pays for one can of food, Gleaners can obtain six cans.

To donate, or for more information, call (313) 923-3535 or visit www.gcfb.org.