Food help

The photo on the front page of the newspaper wasn't worth a thousand words. It was worth a thousand stories.

It wasn't what the photo showed. It was what was missing.

Food was missing. Shelves, once filled with food, were baron just as the holiday season begins.

The scene at the local Salvation Army last week told a story of a high rate of poverty in our region. It told a story of hundreds of people who have not been able to afford food. It told a story of hungry children and elderly, of broken hearts, of poor decisions, unfortunate circumstances and desperate measures. It told a story of more demand than our generous community had previously supplied.

"Anytime something is coming in, it's going out the back door," Capt. Ronnie Amick, who has been on the job since July, told reporter Ruth Campbell. "Right now, it's slim pickings. The shelves are completely empty for the most part. We have a lot of tomato product and a lot of green beans."

If you're reading this newspaper, there's a good chance you're living a lifestyle much more secure than those who have taken food off the Salvation Army's shelves. There will be many opportunities to help coming up.

Local Boy Scouts soon will conduct a food drive with items going to the Salvation Army. If they stop by your house, please find some food items to share. On Dec. 7, Wehrenberg Theatres will hold a canned film festival, where customers can be admitted to a movie for a canned good.

But you don't have to wait. You can donate now, either to the Salvation Army or another local food pantry. Many churches have their own pantries.

The Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope St., is open from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. If those hours don't work, call 335-7000 to arrange a different time.

According to Campbell's reporting, the Southeast Missouri Food Bank serves 16 counties and 180 agencies, of which the Salvation Army is one.

The food bank is expecting to give out nearly 7.9 million pounds of food this year in Southeast Missouri.

Please consider how you can help the hungry in our region.