This story by my co-worker Dean Cousino appears on page 3A of today’s print and e-editions of The Monroe Evening News:

There is no letup in the number of needy people getting food from the weekly Helping Hands Ministry at Community Lutheran Church in Flat Rock.

“We’re still seeing an increase in people coming to the food closet,” Judith Watkins, coordinator, told the Flat Rock Community Service Organization Thursday. “We see a lot of young men coming in. … We had three young guys register with me this week.”

Some of the men are in dire straits. One 24-year-old man who stopped in had not eaten in three days. He was unemployed and without a car — traits that many of the young men have in common, Mrs. Watkins said.

“We didn’t have men coming in like they are 18 years ago when we started this,” she said. “Many of them have just lost a job or have minimum-wage jobs. … These are desperate times. It makes you sad.”

It’s hard to estimate the number of people visit every Wednesday morning at the church, 23984 Gibraltar Rd. Mrs. Watkins has a registry of almost 400 people, but not all of them come every week. Some stop once or twice a month. She plans to go through the list this summer and remove names of people who have stopped coming.

She thanked the schools, churches and organizations such as the Flat Rock Band Boosters who have collected food for the ministry this past school year. The food shelves are likely to “dry up” this summer until classes start again in the fall, she said.

Mrs. Watkins urged people to support a local food drive Saturday by U.S. postal carriers that will benefit local food closets. The Flat Rock Letter Carriers and a portion of the Brownstown Township drive will benefit Helping Hands.

“The food stays here,” she said. “It keeps us going for about six weeks. We spend about $500 to $600 a week for food.”

The drive is nationwide. Rockwood Letter Carriers will donate their food to the food closet at St. Mary Catholic Church in Rockwood, she said.

Anyone wanting to donate food this spring or summer to Helping Hands can call Community Lutheran Church at (734) 782-0563.