Cullman Caring for Kids’ Mac Chaffin places new donations on the food bank’s shelves in this Times file photo.

With an increased demand brought on by rising costs from everything from gas to groceries — and the summer months bringing yet another anticipated uptick — Executive Director of Cullman Caring for Kids Steven Sutter says that the food bank may not be in desperate need at the moment, but they may soon be.

Sutter says that over the course of a typical month they will normally serve roughly 450 families, but in the first four days of operations this month, they’ve served more than 200.

By keeping track of the amount of children in the families who regularly use the food bank, Sutter says they can attempt to create a stockpile of easy-to-prepare meals that children can have when at home for summer break. Items such as cereal and pop-tarts are typically in high demand. After the first week of operations for June though, that stockpile has been depleted.

“I don’t think we have a single box of cereal in the food bank right now. Even with us trying to be conservative it’s just flown out. We try to spread things out as much as we can…but it’s just not there,” Sutter says.

Through partnering with Publix, Sutter says that they have been able to maintain a supply of canned goods that don’t require a can opener that children can use.

Sutter says the food bank hasn’t seen a big increase in clients since the school systems implemented multiple-meal pickup programs, but they are anticipating an uptick as the federal vouchers supplying the school’s programs come to an end in June.

“We aren’t in desperate need for food at the moment, but another month or two like the last few that we have had and we will be,” Sutter says.

Even with successful food drives from Cullman County and Cullman City schools raising an estimated 21,000 pounds of food and a fundraising effort with Publix raising $16,000 for the food bank to use to purchase food at wholesale costs, efforts are not keeping pace with the increasing need in the community.

“We were definitely blessed in abundance, even to the point where we were able to give out a few more cans of food than we typically would be able to. But over the last several months we’ve just watched it dwindle down,” Sutter says.

Sutter is hopeful that the generosity that he has experienced from the Cullman community in the past will continue to allow them to feed those who may be struggling during this time.

“We are in a very generous town, maybe one of the most giving places that I know of. I just hope that they don’t forget about us. We don’t want anyone to go to bed hungry. I just hope people remember that we are here to put a little food in their bellies,” Sutter says.

Donations can be made in person at Cullman Caring for Kids, or be picked up from your home. Monetary donations can also be made via PayPal or Stripe at https://www.cullmancaringforkids.com/

Those needing to utilize the food bank can do so Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-2 p.m. and Thursday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The food bank is closed on Wednesday in order to operate the mobile food bank, for its location Sutter says to check the Cullman Caring for Kids Facebook page.