 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Charity's cupboard almost bare
By JOY DAVIS-PLATT, Times Staff Writer BROOKSVILLE -- Life for some Hernando County residents could get more difficult if the current trend continues at the Salvation Army. For the past month, supplies in the organization's food pantry have been dwindling and have now reached a critical level, said development director Paul Sullivan. "The only choice people have right now is between creamed corn, whole kernel corn or green beans," Sullivan said last week as he looked over the pantry's canned vegetables section. "It's looking pretty lean." Shelves that once held pasta, rice, dry milk and other staples sit empty. "It's very difficult when someone comes in and all we have is corn. There's nothing wrong with corn, but it's hard to feed a family on that," Sullivan said. The pantries are primarily stocked by two major food drives each year, Sullivan said, one during the holidays in November and December, and a second in April when postal workers collect food door to door. In recent years, the food from those drives that goes to the Salvation Army hasn't lasted as long because a growing number of agencies are sharing it, Sullivan said. Groups such as Widow's Oil, DayStar and St. Vincent DePaul all vie for the same commodities. "The drives are successful, but the same amount of food is going to help a larger number of agencies," he said. "And when someone comes into the county, they don't necessarily know about these other agencies, but they recognize the Salvation Army insignia and they come to us." Last year, the Hernando County Salvation Army helped more than 500 families with food donations, Sullivan said. "What I am noticing is that the number of people coming to us for help has gone up," said Sullivan, who joined the agency in April 2001. "We do the best with what we have, and in a worsening economy, people come to us for assistance because they know the name." Unemployment and underemployment are the two biggest reasons Sullivan said he sees for people coming in for assistance. For many who can only find part-time work, the paychecks are not enough to make ends meet. Others who depend on the pantry are senior citizens living on small, fixed incomes and single-parent families, he said. "They have to make choices like having electricity in their home or food," he said. Sullivan said his biggest concern is that, historically, the summer months are slow both in financial donations and in food donations because people tend to associate the Salvation Army with Christmas. During the school year, the children of many Salvation Army clients receive free or reduced-price lunches through the schools, said Sandi Galloway, the agency's social services director. "During the summer, kids are home from school, and feeding them three meals a day can be a huge drain on a budget," Galloway said. Sullivan said he remains optimistic that the pantry shelves will fill up again once the community becomes aware of the situation. "We know that the people of Hernando County are very generous, and we're simply asking them to extend a bit more," he said. The Salvation Army of Hernando County is at 15464 Cortez Blvd., west of Brooksville. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number is 796-1186.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
