Salvation Army social worker Nancy Barnes says the number of vouchers given out for food and clothing has increased recently. The number of people seeking help increased to the point that the food bank had to close temporarily. World Photo by Lou Sennick

Money was tight this Halloween for Ashley Engberg and her family. With only one paycheck where there used to be two, she got creative for the holiday, and broke out the scissors and construction paper.

“We just cut out ghosts and bats and pumpkins and hung them up,” said Engberg, who shares a home with her boyfriend, Shawn Beaudry, and his 5-year-old daughter. “We used to really decorate and go all out.”

It’s only a little thing, but foregoing the cost of decorations is just one of many cutbacks this and other families have made in these tight economic times. Engberg’s boyfriend, a construction worker, was laid off at the beginning of the month. Her father, who works for Georgia-Pacific, will lose his job on Tuesday, and with no additional money coming in, the couple sold a car, dropped a cell phone and drastically altered their spending.

No more dinners or drinks on the town, fewer family trips, cheaper entertainment and shopping at discount stores are just a few of the changes they’ve made.

Even so, the bills are starting to pile up.

“We’re trying to stay positive ... it just doesn’t feel good when things go bad and keep going bad,” the 23-year-old said. “It’s like you get to the bottom of a well, and you just keep on hoping you’ll have a rope to climb on out.”

With the economy wobbling, things might not change any time soon.

At this point, Beaudry and Engberg can still put food on their table. But that’s not the case with others in the area, said Rollie Lobsinger, the director of South Coast Food Share, as more and more people are finding they can’t support themselves like they used to.

A regional food bank, the Food Share provides food to 32 local agencies that offer emergency food boxes and emergency meals to low-income families in Coos and Curry counties. Each food box contains about 40 pounds of food and is meant to last three to five days for a family of four.

In the last quarter, the Food Share saw a 16 percent increase in the amount of distributed food boxes — from 5,280 to 6,120 —  when compared to the same period in 2007. That’s about 1,160 more boxes. And they’re not lasting like they used to, Lobsinger said, adding he blames the rising need on the poor economy, the lack of good paying jobs in the area and increasing food, fuel, healthcare and housing costs.

“It’s really a perfect storm,” Lobsinger said. “You put all those things together and something has to give. Usually, what people have control over is their food budget. They choose to buy the medicine and pay the rent and buy fuel so they can work. And then whatever is left is for food and often that’s not enough to meet their nutritional needs.”

People are making impossible decisions, he said, and turn to food pantries to make up the difference. But with most pantries offering only one emergency box per month, it’s not quite enough, the director said.

“We are getting calls from people who’ve never had to use emergency food boxes before,” he said, adding some are ashamed of their situation. “They are joining the ranks of the poor ... for the first time.”

To bolster food supplies, the Ladybug Community Garden in Coos Bay is trying to ease the hunger.

Renee Blom, president of Community Garden Association, said the Coos County-Oregon State University Extension Service Master Gardeners grew and donated 560 pounds of fresh produce out of the garden this past growing season. But that’s not all that blossomed in the garden.

When Ladybug Landing offered growing plots in January, by the first part of February, the 60 plots available were taken.

Blom said the increasing interest people have in growing their own food isn’t just isolated to Coos Bay. Lakeside just completed its first growing season in the Harmony Community Garden and already is expanding. Plans for gardens are in the works for Coquille and Bandon, Blom said.

The increasing trend is not completely associated with the economic downturn, but the recent sour economic news has spurred more interest in learning how to grow and store food.

“People have more of an interest in eating better and keeping things local,”  she said.

When faced with the choice between bills and food for their families, it isn’t hard to guess what most people will decide. But sitting in the dark isn’t a positive situation either.

Phil Handsaker, the director of Energy Services for Oregon Coast Community Action, said his office has experienced a 90 percent jump this month from October 2007 in the number of households requiring energy assistance, meaning 48 more people came in with disconnect or shut-off notices. Typically, Energy Services can pay only one bill per one household a year. He blamed the increase on utility increases and, of course, the economy.

“People are having to make decisions about what bills to pay,” Handsaker said. “By the time it gets to us, they are at the disconnect point.”

People also are going to the Salvation Army for help. Nancy Barnes, Social Services Worker for the Salvation Army reported that her organization gave a total of $8,644 in aid to Coos County residents in August — double what it gave in 2007.

“We have seen an increase of demand not only for food, but for energy assistance, gasoline, water, and everything that we try to help with.”

When faced with these continued hardships, people have turned to education to help find firmer footing.

Rick Osborn, the director of communications at Southwestern Oregon Community College, said enrollment is increasing, with professional, vocational and technical training classes, such as the nursing and culinary programs, getting the most attention.

In those courses, enrollment is up 21 percent and some people are capitalizing on financial aid to afford them.

“We’re always going to get students from economic downturns,” Osborn said. “If they’re out of work or are looking for work and there aren’t jobs available, people will take that opportunity to return to school to improve their job skills or retrain for new careers.”

Beaudry said he’s considering returning to school or moving out of the area if things don’t change.

“(I’ve) been thinking seriously about getting into radiology, because people are always going to use the hospital,” the 30-year-old said.

The now stay-at-home dad is concerned the country is on its way to another depression, and there are only so many changes he and others can make before there’s nothing left to cut.

“It’s just a sad thing,” he said. “I just wish everybody out there the best of luck and hopefully we can all get through this.”