The holidays are nearly here, and although the economy appears to be slowly pulling out of the recession, many people are still without jobs: Preliminary data from the Department of Labor indicates that Indiana's unemployment was 9.6 percent in September.

For some who are out of work, getting food becomes a challenge. Community Harvest Food Bank has been seeing more requests from existing clients, more first-time users and more children since the summer of 2008.

“It's all about jobs,” says Jane Avery, food bank executive director. “We seem to be, in many ways, the funnel. People call us as a way to get started. Many of these unemployed people, neither they nor anyone else in their family's history has ever been unemployed; they are clueless as to how to get started.”

For those who do not qualify for food stamps, food banks become a destination for help.

“The good news is we are not behind on the food coming in. The bad news: We and all our agencies have had their pedal to the metal for the past year trying to keep up,” Avery said, noting that some of the agencies are seeing five times the number of people they were last summer.

One-tenth of the food that went out of the food bank last year was distributed through the Community Cupboard program.

“None of the nine counties we serve is doing well… some of the rural counties have good resources, some of them don't,” said Avery.

Community Harvest serves Allen, DeKalb, Adams, Noble, Whitley, Huntington, LaGrange, Wells and Steuben counties.

Lately, the food bank has been serving 620 household heads every Saturday. Avery says multiplying that number by four likely provides a general estimate for the number of people they are consistently feeding.

Some come once a week, some once a month; others come only when they are desperately hungry.

The food bank has stockpiled 4,000 turkeys for the two holidays and could use another 3,000.

Avery says anything one considers part of a holiday a meal is a good donation, including salt and spices. Avery would be thrilled to get monetary donations.

Community Harvest Food Bank is a part of Feeding America.

“Feeding America is able to negotiate prices with the food industry because there are over 200 food banks under Feeding America who are buying in great quantities, so they have that leverage. Also, we have created those kinds of partnerships at the local level. We buy from food processors, grocers … anywhere we can get the best deal,” says Claudia Johnson, of Community Harvest.

So a cash donation can buy a lot of food.

Avery is thankful for all the help the community has given the food bank, but issues the reminder that once someone eats the food, it's gone.

“Until the jobs come back, it will be a real struggle to make sure those people get the food they need,” she said.