Bare Food Shelves at Salvation Army

Putting food on the table is a struggle many families from around the Ozarks face everyday.  Now an area service organization that prides itself in assisting those in need is turning to the community for help.

The Salvation Army helps hundreds of people in Greene County every year, but recent lay-offs, high prices at the gas pump and this year's ice storm has led more people than usual to the organization and that's causing concern for many workers.  

Efforts are under way to help restock the shelves at the Salvation Army food pantry.

"It's really been tough, the numbers, the statistics have been up tremendously," said Joye Waterworth, a case worker with the Salvation Army.

The organization has seen a 56 percent increase over last year with food being provided to individuals through its Emergency Social Service Office.

"It's really a struggle.  Right now we're just stocked at a bare minimum and not much of a choice in the way of food.  I think we have a few boxes of soups, a few boxes of corn and green beans," said Shirley McDonald with the Salvation Army.

So far this year, the Salvation Army has also given out more than 84,000 meals to individuals participating in the agency's other food programs.

"People have such a hard time to come to this point to ask for help and its hard, you know to see that there is a great amount of need out there and nothing to work with," said Waterworth.

Workers are doing their best to reach out to many in the community.

They're hoping through food drives, other organizations can help keep the shelves full.

"One of the things that we're doing is we are sending out a large mail appeal to the churches and the community.  We hope to appeal to their own churches do food drives for," Waterworth said.

Workers hope they can rely on the very same people they help serve ever year.     

"I've bee here at the Salvation Army for 19 years and I just found the community so very giving, they just rally and come to our support even when they are having their own problems," said McDonald.

The items available at the Salvation Army’s food pantry are becoming so low that it could close it for a short time or until enough donations are received to restock shelves.

If you're interested in donating some items for the food pantry, workers at the Salvation Army will gladly accept them at the west Chestnut Expressway location in Springfield.