The organization has increased its space, increased its staff, and increased its donation intake. At the same time, though, the non-profit’s food shelf needs have increased 60 percent from three years ago, with a record number of children and elderly now requesting items. While three years ago the food shelf averaged 180 families and gave away 13,000 pounds of food in a month’s time, it now averages 290 families and gives away 28,000 pounds of food.

Because its need for non-perishable foods has also increased, spending on food has also risen by $2,500 since December. And most clients receive only a week’s worth of food for an entire month.

“Food prices are up, utility prices are up, and transportation costs are up, and their (clients) wages are staying the same” said Valley Outreach Executive Director Kate Krisik. “With this last surge we’ve been seeing, there are a lot of people who we normally wouldn’t serve. There are people who come in here who sit in tears and say ‘I used to be a donor and never thought I’d need your services.”

The food shelf’s senior client base has also doubled in the last sixth months and now represents 20 percent of all its food needs.

Krisik said the food shelf last saw a huge spike in demand during the summer of 2006 and is currently having its second-largest spike since Christmas. During the holiday season it typically receives its largest volume of donations, but during the summer months donations decrease even though that’s the time of year the food shelf is in dire need of items.

“In the summer, people don’t think about donating,” Krisik said. “Our money donations fall off and our food donations fall, which is understandable because everyone’s enjoying the summer with their families. But its actually one of our peak times of service because kids aren’t getting their reduced or free lunches and breakfasts at school, so their parents need food even more and our supplies are down.”

Shelves that were once stocked with cereal, soup, corn, and other non-perishable items now have gaping spaces, a dismaying situation for food shelf organizers who recently finished three major food drives — March Food Share Month, a Boy/Girl Scout food drive in April, and the Postal Workers Food Drive last month.

“This is normally the time of year when we have the most food,” Krisik said. “So having any empty spaces now is really scary.”

The glaring statistics come as Valley Outreach celebrates is 25th anniversary and its move to a newer and more improved office. Once located in Oak Park Heights in a 2,900 square foot office, the new office located in a former gym on Curve Crest Boulevard in Stillwater is more than twice the size at 7,519 square feet.

“There was no way we could have continued serving as many people as we are now in that old space,” Krisik said. “Our children’s play area was one table and a couple of chairs wedged between two book spaces, and our lobby had room for only seven chairs.”

In addition to allowing more privacy for clients, the new office space has allowed Valley Outreach to expand beyond the food shelf and offer more household items. Its clothing donation division, Dawn’s Closet, is now able to offer men’s clothing as well as women’s and children’s. With extra storage place, clothing items can be accepted year-long regardless of the season.

“(Before) we were only able to accept in-season donations, which of course runs counter to donation cycles for clothing when people are cleaning out their winter clothes in spring and cleaning out their summer clothes in fall,” she said. “We couldn’t take those donations because we had nowhere to put them.”

Valley Outreach also added its second full-time person — the first in 25 years — Lisa Janowiec-Kurle, who will work as an external relations coordinator. Even still, the organization is looking for more volunteers to help with the its expanding services.

“We hope that people will continue to keep us in mind, especially as the summer goes along,” Krisik said when addressing the Stillwater City Council last month. “When you’re in the grocery store and see a “Buy One Get One Free” promotion, please consider buying the extra can, and put it aside.”