NORWICH – Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry in Norwich is continuing a 30-plus year commitment to offering help to the needy through food assistance.

In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, the volunteer-driven organization – with assistance of the Norwich Interfaith Council, individual donors, the Food Bank of South Central New York, and a number of partnering organizations and charitable foundations – distributed food to hundreds of less fortunate families throughout the greater Norwich area. Our Daily Bread caters to residents living within the City of Norwich as well as the Towns of Norwich, Preston and Plymouth. Families that are in need may get food from the pantry once per month.

Like most food pantries in the area, Our Daily Bread is seeing a drastic increase in the number of households that are provided food assistance. According to Our Daily Bread organizer Barb Tompkins, the nonprofit recorded a nearly 70 percent increase since the early part of the year, jumping from 192 households served in February to nearly 280 served in August, September and October.

“I don't think the increase is necessarily related to the holidays,” Tompkins said. “I think the increase is related to the fact that people need food.”

To date, Our Daily Bread has provided food donations that include grains, meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables to more than 2,600 needy families in 2014. Donations are contingent on eligibility and the number of people living within a household.

An estimated five to six tons of food is distributed by Our Daily Bread each month, said Tompkins; and with the holiday season finally here, the need for food assistance isn’t expected to slow any time soon.