As the number of needy families increases in the metro-east, the resources of food pantries and charities are being stretched thin.

From Belleville News Democrat:

As the number of needy families increases in the metro-east, the resources of food pantries and charities are being stretched thin.

According to the 2008 Heartland Alliance Poverty report, 40,780 people in St. Clair County live below the poverty line, an increase from 12 percent in 2006 to 15.8 percent in 2007, the latest numbers available. The child poverty rate in St. Clair County is 27 percent, an increase from 19 percent in 2006.