Elaine Appleton Grant

At Neighbors Cupboard, a food pantry in rural Winterport, Maine, Phyllis Allen has watched USDA food supplies declining just as demand is increasing.

Allen's 78 years old.

She's been helping to run the pantry for 17 years.

The volunteers who keep America's food insecure families fed are aging out.

Anti-hunger advocates are expecting unprecedented demand this winter, but the labor force might not be up to the task.

Volunteerism has been declining for the last 20 years.

Younger volunteers are hard to find.

For NPR News, I'm Elaine Appleton Grant in Belfast, Maine.