While the overall number of Americans battling hunger is at the lowest in several years, food bank organizers say cuts in food stamp benefits is still driving people to emergency pantries.

Silvia Davi of the Food Bank for New York City said in a release that food bank stocks have been running low.

"Since there were cuts on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and food stamps about 18 months ago, we continue to see a meal gap in certain communities," she said in the release.

Her comments echo the pleas of food banks across the country from Texas to Montana, where need is greater than demand this year. Food banks are also grappling with turkey shortages due to a devastating bird flu outbreak.

A recent report from the National Philanthropic Trust said that donations to non-profits have surpassed pre-recession levels for the first time since 2008.

A Gallup poll this summer showed that the number of Americans struggling to afford food is at a 7-year low, with 15.8 percent reporting some food insecurity over the last year. That's still higher than levels seen before the 2008 recession, when 11 percent of households reported food insecurity.

Congress is conducting hearings on the SNAP program, with a much-anticipated report due soon from the National Commission on Hunger. The commission has spent a year and a half holding hearings across the country to get a thorough picture of the nation's food security.

The most recent government data from 2014 shows that nearly 50 million people are food insecure, including more than 15 million children.

In 2014, one in four food insecure households got emergency food from a food pantry.