Tiffany Greenwaldt-Simon reports for Columbia-Greene Media that local food pantries are struggling to keep up with rising demand. Judy Matthews, co-president of the Chatham Area Silent Pantry, said, “Our donations are down.... They were up a bit during the pandemic. People were very generous, and we had a cushion, but donations are down as far as 2024 goes.” While the supply of donations is down at most local food pantries, the demand is up. A Hunger Free America survey found that the number of people without enough food over a seven-day period in New York State increased by 35 percent recently. Darcy Connor, the director of the Salvation Army Service Center in Hudson, said, “We don’t have enough meat.... Across the board, the prices of groceries are through the roof. The grocery store buys a certain amount of meat to sell. If that doesn’t sell, we get the meat. The grocery stores are realizing that people aren’t buying as much meat. We get donations from all the grocery stores in our community. If the supermarkets don’t have a lot of meat left, then we don’t get it.” A 2022 survey by Community Action of Greene County found that 46 percent of Greene County residents used a food pantry during the year. Patti Dushane, executive director of the Matthew 25 Food Pantry in Catskill, said, “I have seen a change.... The food we normally get is not always there, and there has been a change in the quantity of food.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.