As heating bills rise and holiday rituals arrive, including gift-giving and long-distance calls to loved ones, financial pressures increase at this time of year.

Add to that today's economic turmoil, which has resulted in lost jobs or fewer work hours for many, and the need for food banks becomes greater than usual.

To help answer that need, the Greater Washington County Food Bank in North Strabane is conducting the largest food drive in its history. Every Wednesday this month, patrons at the Meadows Casino can bring nonperishable items from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and receive free play coupons in return.

The first three Wednesdays netted 80,118 pounds of food.

The casino also has donated 1,000 turkeys to the food bank for holiday distribution.

"They have been a great corporate neighbor," said Stephanie Urchick, vice president of the board of directors of the Washington County food bank.

Providing food to the needy "takes the stress off stressed budgets," said Joyce Rothermel, chief executive officer of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne. "The money that would be spent on food can instead go to pay the phone or electric or gas bills so we can really make a difference.''

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes food in 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.

It relies on state and federal funding, donations, fundraising and community partnerships to amass food at its 94,000-square-foot warehouse. Each week, that food serves 28,000 to 30,000 people through the food bank's roughly 200 pantries.

While the majority of the recipients take the food home to prepare it, others are fed at soup kitchens, shelters, community centers or after-school programs and through Meals on Wheels and other services.

In the Washington County area, food is distributed to 34 pantries from the central distribution location of the nonprofit Greater Washington County Food Bank. The food bank currently serves more than 3,200 families a month.

While there are qualification guidelines, "a lot of times people lose jobs or fall through the cracks or suffer loss, as through a fire. We don't turn anybody away," Ms. Urchick said.

So far this year, the food bank has distributed more than 2 million pounds of food.

Ms. Urchick said while the need for donations is year-round, food banks often see an upsurge this time of year of what she calls "psychic income."

"The holidays bring out the desire in people to donate because it makes us feel good to help others," she said.

To donate money to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, send a check to 1 North Linden St., Duquesne, PA 15110. To donate nonperishable items, to volunteer or to get information on receiving food assistance, call 412-460-3663 or visit www.pittsburghfoodbank.org.

To donate to the Greater Washington County Food Bank, send a check to 1020 Route 519, Eighty Four, PA 15330-2812. To donate nonperishables, to volunteer or to get information on receiving food assistance, call 724-229-8175 or visit www.gwcfb.org.