TASK FORCE FORWARDS AID TO TROOP FAMILIES

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Although the news from the Persian Gulf improves by the hour for American forces, the Desert Storm Task Force support group will probably be needed at least through the end of the year, a task force spokesperson said Tuesday.

The task force will provide assistance to families and dependents of Cape Girardeau area servicemen and women in Operation Desert Storm. It began operating last week.

Those families or dependents who need any type of assistance, or have questions, should call the Desert Storm Task Force hot line, 335-4975, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The task force office will be closed Friday but will reopen on Monday.

Dorothy Klein, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area United Way and member of the task force's coordinating committee, said community support for the task force is growing.

"Every day, I get phone calls from people who want to know what they can do to help," Klein commented during an interview Tuesday. "They wouldn't do that if they weren't truly interested and concerned for the welfare of these families."

Klein said the task force refers callers with problems such as financial, food assistance, house or car repairs, student homework, babysitting to allow time for grocery shopping, or other needs, to the proper agency for help.

She said the task force is still busy cataloging the different types of services and resources now available to families and dependents. As each resource comes in, it is placed in a computer data bank. When a call comes in for assistance, a volunteer at the task force office matches the need with a service or resource provider.

"Right now, I haven't had a lot of calls for assistance," Klein said, "but the longer the troops stay in Saudi Arabia, the more calls we expect to come in."

Klein said many families of servicemen or women in Desert Storm were not in good financial condition to start with. Now, some of them have lost as much as a full weekly or monthly civilian paycheck, or a reduced paycheck. As time goes on, the impact of the lost income will mount, she added.

"Most of them can struggle along for a month, or maybe six weeks without needing help, but as those weeks run into months, the loss of income and the absence of the head of the household is going to become a major concern and problem for these families," Klein said.

Even if the war ends later this week or next week, as reports have suggested, Klein says it will likely be six to eight months before the servicemen and women return home to their families.

"The immediate danger to the personal safety of these troops will decline as time goes on, but many of them will continue to worry about the welfare of their families back home," she said. "That's where the Desert Storm Task Force will step in."

Klein said she handled two assistance calls this week. One involved repair of a furnace, while the other involved repair of a clothes dryer.

She urged friends or relatives of families with serviceman or servicewomen in Desert Storm who may need help now, or in the future, to tell them about the Desert Storm Task Force telephone number.

"Many of the area churches put notices in their Sunday bulletins last week about the task force," said Klein. "We want the word to get out that we're ready to assist the families of military personnel in Saudi Arabia, if they need help."

Klein said the task force is also looking for more volunteers to help with the telephones and office and administrative work.

Organizations involved in the task force include the Joint Veterans Council of Cape Girardeau, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans; the Community Counseling Center; Lutheran Family and Children Services; Beacon Recovery Center, St. Francis Medical Center, Southeast Missouri Hospital, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southeast Missouri State University, and wives of servicemen in Desert Storm.