In Greenville County, there’s been a major increase in hungry people needing food banks. Pantry shelves are emptying out faster than volunteers can fill them.According to area nonprofit directors, a lot of people are going hungry and doing their best to hide it. Pam Justice has been going to Triune Mercy Center in Greenville for nearly a year. She says she never knows where her next meal will come from.”It’s very scary to know you may not eat today. And all the problems with the cellulitis that has had me hospitalized four times this year is because of bad eating,” she said.According to Feeding America, in 2020, there were more than 45,000 people in Greenville County who couldn’t consistently feed everyone in their house. Some nonprofit workers think that number is even higher now. “We did see a slight decline in 2021 when some of the government programs were really amped up, like the child tax credit,” Tessa May, Loaves and Fishes’ Executive Director, said. “But since those have been revoked, we’re seeing a rise again in food insecurity in our community.”According to Greenville Homeless Alliance, more than 3,800 people experienced homelessness within the county last year. That’s 600 more than in 2020. “I’ve been here for 3 1/2 years, and the staff tells me this is the most bare it has been in a long time,” Jennifer Fouse Sheorm, Triune Mercy Center’s Director, said.While they’re still getting donations and help from Loaves and Fishes, Fouse Sheorm says some of the increase is new people coming in, hiding their hunger from friends and neighbors. “And so, I think what has happened is as groceries have gone up, it’s harder for people to get them,” she said.Triune Mercy Center and nonprofits like it are accepting food and coat donations as more people trying to make ends meet rely on them.”Thank God for Triune Mercy Center. Thank God,” Justice said.According to May, it’s not just families going hungry. She said 10% of South Carolina’s seniors and 6% of its veterans are food insecure.