RANCHO DISTRICT — When Bonnie Lea hastily accepted an orange handbill on her way into Pavilions, the employee of a food distribution company didn’t expect to walk out with a grocery bag of donations.
But as she strolled the aisles and glanced at the suggested donation list, something in her mind clicked.
“I’m one paycheck away from that being me,” said Lea, of Burbank. “But I still have a job. Money is tight, with no overtime and hours being cut. But I can still help.”
Lea joined dozens of community members Saturday, and hundreds more in the months leading up to the holidays, in lending a hand to the Burbank Temporary Aid Center, which serves homeless and low-income residents.
The day of giving was organized by the Leadership Burbank Alumni Assn. and comes as demand for meals across the region continues to soar. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank this fall has seen the need for food surge nearly 35% from a year ago.
And regional statistics show more than 250,000 people received support from food pantries each month between May and August, an 8.6% jump from the monthly average between January and April.
Local pantries such as Burbank Temporary Aid Center have spent months stressing the need for donations as executives and volunteers prepare to distribute hundreds of holiday basics like turkeys, stuffing, potatoes and vegetables to needy individuals and families, Executive Director Barbara Howell said.
The debilitating recession, intensified by a weak job market and elevated foreclosure rate, has caused grocery requests to increase more than 80% from the previous year, and the center’s client list has grown to include longtime donors, organizers said.
“We understand that some people, some foundations and some business owners are having to pull back,” Howell said. “But people’s hearts — especially here in Burbank — are so big that when someone drops off, others step in.”
Leadership Burbank alumnus Barry Gussow handed out fliers and implored shoppers to donate holiday groceries as well as peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, cereals and canned foods.
Comprising two full-time and three part-time employees, one of the center’s goals in November is to gather enough supplies to last through spring. Similar events organized by the city, Woodbury University, Burbank Jaycees, Burbank Ministerial Assn., Warner Bros. and Yahoo are planned throughout “BTAC Month.”
