Food bank in affluent area needs help

The staff at a food bank that serves affluent communities like Wilmette, Winnetka and Glencoe say they have seen a surge in people in need of basic food supplies.

Because more people are asking for help, the New Trier Township Food Pantry is pleading for donations, saying it cannot keep up with residents' needs.

Supervisor Patricia Cantor said the people coming to the pantry have varied from working-class families to elderly residents on fixed incomes to once-wealthier families struggling with a sudden layoff. An individual must make less than $20,800 a year to receive free food from the pantry's shelves.

The New Trier Township Food Pantry is seeking donations of tuna, cereal, canned fruit, cake mixes, rice, salt, pepper and household items.