The need for groceries from the Redwood Empire Food Bank is on the upswing, while federal support for their programs is moving in the opposite direction.

One indicator of the depth of the lingering recession, says Redwood Empire Food Bank Executive Director David Goodman, can be seen locally in the demand for their summer lunch program for low income students.

The local food bank and its 290 counterparts across the country have been actively lobbying members of Congress to defend funding for federal food support programs, but Goodman admits they sometimes feel overmatched in that effort.