As grocery stores are being pressured by mass consumer purchases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, groups that rely on stores and generosity are feeling some strain.

The Idaho Foodbank and Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Southwest Idaho have been serving populations in the Treasure Valley for a long time. Their normal systems bring food to vulnerable populations on a regular basis, providing agency and assistance to people who need them. But as the novel coronavirus begins to threaten both volunteers and the normal process for distributing food to clients, leaders of the charitable groups are looking for ways to keep their programs running.

Ralph May, the executive director for Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Southwest Idaho, said taking care of the rising number of people in need and their mostly elderly volunteers were top priorities as the situation changes.

"It's mostly elderly and families, that's our primary market, the primary slice of humanity we work with," May said.

"People are scared," he added, and as the number of COVID-19 cases grows in Idaho, the pressure on those groups is growing.

"Children normally getting school lunch and free breakfast programs are not getting that, and people are under stress to feed their children, and families are coming through," May said.

School districts around the Treasure Valley have begun to provide free lunches and breakfasts in some cases, including in Kuna, Caldwell, Middleton, Nampa and Boise. But food banks are still feeling the ripple effects of those closures, and of people's desire to stock up for potential quarantines.

The Idaho Foodbank is trying to put together supply chains of its own in order to increase its supplies in the next weeks. Karen Vauk, the president and CEO of the nonprofit, said Idaho Foodbank staff have been engaged in calls with partners across the state, including 56 mobile food pantries.

"What we are seeing at this point is that there is an increase in need for food assistance in the state, and we don't think anyone in the state would be surprised by that. There are people who don't have an income, people who are not being sent home with vacation times, and there are more people in that position of needing assistance," Vauk said in a telephone interview.

Vauk said the Idaho Foodbank already had to begin setting up transportation for the "truckloads" of food the nonprofit would need to provide in the coming time.

"It's gonna cost money to get that done," Vauk said.

The Idaho Foodbank is bracing for a 30-50% increase in need and has begun altering its service model. The St. Vincent de Paul Society earlier this week changed how it provides food to clients, streamlining its operation to cut the interaction between volunteers and the people they serve, according to May.

"We rely on older volunteers, and most of our volunteers are self-isolating," May said. "Every business out there is having the same things, asking how they'll be able to man it, to continue and for how long."

That volunteer drain is causing stress at the school level, too. The Idaho Foodbank is providing 38 school pantries across the state with food in this time of need. Whether anyone will be available to staff the pantries is unknown.

Susanne Lally, Idaho Foodbank spokeswoman, said the organization is reaching out to each pantry to tell them the Idaho Foodbank would keep providing them with supplies, but needed to know if anyone would be at the school to staff the pantry.

"We're reaching out to them one by one," Lally said, "and asking, 'Do you have the staff?'"