CLEVELAND -- The tough economy has caused more local families to turn to food banks to help them get by.

Elected officials on Wednesday said they are doing all they can to support the food banks but people are still going hungry.

There's good news and bad news coming from the Akron Canton Regional Food Bank.

The good news is that this food bank is able to meet the increasing demand of more people who need food.

The bad news

Several people, along with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton and Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic toured the food bank.

The demand for emergency food assistance at food pantries has increased by 20 percent, officials said.

Sen. Brown helped secure more than $300,000 in federal funds for the Akron-Canton Food Bank for 2008.

"It's harder and harder for people to donate but people can always donate to food banks -- that's really important…" he said. "We hear stories all the time of people who used to donate to food banks, now come here because they lost their job or their hours have been scaled back."

Officials said about 40 percent of the people who use the food bank have a job.