SOUTH PACIFIC COUNTY — There’s fewer than 10 days remaining in this year’s Food Bank Challenge, and organizers are raising the alarm over lagging fundraising figures compared to past years.

Through Dec. 4, which is roughly halfway through this year’s challenge, donations to the Ocean Park, Ilwaco and Chinook food banks were at just 23% of last year’s combined total. The fundraiser continues through next Friday, Dec. 20.

The current funding levels for the challenge has raised the alarm for Chuck Mikkola, treasurer of the Loren H. Corder Foundation. The local organization puts on the fundraiser and provides the food banks with matching funds based on the community’s level of support. About $536,000 has been raised for the food banks in the first five years of the challenge, which includes nearly $200,000 in matching funds from the foundation.

“Yes, it’s only halfway through the challenge timeline but in 2023 the donations at this point were well over 23%,” said Mikkola last week. “To say I’m worried would be true, as coming up short in donations would reduce funds coming from the Loren H. Corder Foundation. This only happens once a year and is a big boost to the food banks at a time when we all share the joy of Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

The area’s food banks face rising demand, especially during the holiday season. Michael Goldberg, the Ocean Park Food Bank’s president, said they served holiday meal kits — whole chickens, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce and pies — to more than 300 families in the second half of November, which represents an increase of about 10% over 2023 that has held steady throughout 2024 as a whole.

“That’s a big hit to a food bank that simply can’t increase their revenue sources or food supplies by 10% to compensate,” Mikkola explained. “Also impacting food banks, as we all know, is the price of food that has risen since last year, so that dollar buying power is not what it was last year.”

As he’s distributed fliers throughout the community, Mikkola is aware that there are many other worthy community organizations asking for donations during this time of year.

“There are only so many dollars to go around in a small community like ours. I can understand that making that donation is getting tougher each year and how to divide those dollars between those programs even harder,” Mikkola said.” However, the challenge is unique in one way — it brings in a lot of matching dollars.

“I’m staying optimistic that the donations will surge in the coming weeks. And a big thank you to all for the help your donations bring to the community food banks.”

Donations can be mailed to PO Box 907 in Ocean Park (zip code 98640) for the Ocean Park Food Bank, PO Box 494 in Ilwaco (98624) for the Ilwaco Food Bank, and PO Box 243 in Chinook (98614) for the Chinook Food Bank.