This article by my co-worker Michelle Swartz is on page 1 of today’s edition of The Monroe Evening News:

Volunteers waited patiently at the Salvation Army of Monroe County, Mich., to sort through incoming food donations Monday morning.

But recently, volunteers have had little to do. Few food donations are trickling into the nonprofit organization that helps feed hundreds of individuals and families each month.

“Donations are way off this summer. It’s the sign of the times,” said Kyle Hudson, Salvation Army’s social services director, about the poor state of the economy.

It is evident in the storage room. Mr. Hudson walked past several shelving units with little or no food in order to open a large freezer with only a handful of meat packages on the freezer floor.

“That’s all the meat we have right now,” he said.

Luckily, soon after looking at the few contents in the freezer, two large boxes of frozen food donated by Red Lobster arrived.

“Red Lobster on Dixie Hwy. has been generous in donating meat,” Mr. Hudson said as volunteers sorted through the frozen food.

The pantry includes bread, canned vegetables and soups, but lacks in several major food categories. The pantry is in desperate need for peanut butter, jelly, canned fruit, boxed mashed potatoes, rice, chili, beef stew, cereal and canned salmon.

“We have absolutely no cereal,” Mr. Hudson said as he pointed to a shelving unit with no food. “We’re pretty low on a lot of things.”

Food that is not donated must be bought by the Salvation Army. The cost of groceries comes out the budget, which in turn financially hurts the organization in other areas.

Even though summer months are slower for donations, this year is significantly bad for two reasons. The first is the cancelation of a food drive normally held at Splash Universe in Dundee. It was canceled due to tornado damage to the hotel, and is not expected to be rescheduled anytime soon.

“The food drive sustained us. Last year, we filled a 22-foot truck nine times. That gives you an idea of how much food was donated to us,” said Major Michael Thomas, commanding officer. “It’s just another after-affect of the tornado.”

Another reason for the food shortage is the increasing number of individuals who need help.

“We’re seeing a lot of first timers. A lot more people are finding themselves laid off and in need of help when they never needed it before,” Mr. Hudson explained.

Last month, for example, 319 individuals sought food at the Salvation Army’s Monroe and Bedford locations, while another 116 households picked up bags of donated food.

“Luckily, we’ve haven’t had to turn anyone away yet thanks to the food donations we get from businesses and individuals in the community,” Mr. Hudson said. “But we are just getting by and we want to help as many people as possible.”

He said the end of the month is especially busy with people seeking food. It is a time when many individuals and families are running low on money, such as their social security funds.

“It’s always busy at the end of the month, and it will only get busier when the winter season comes,” he said.

In order to help as many people as possible, individuals and families are allowed to receive food four times a year after a 30-day period. A certain number of grocery bags, filled with a variety of food, are given to small, medium and large sized families. A family of five or more is considered a large size, which equates to four bags of groceries.

“We realize we’re not alone. We know a lot of (nonprofit) organizations are hurting right now,” Mr. Hudson said. “But we really want to help as many people as we can. It’s important we keep getting food donations. The community always has been good to us.”

Those who are interested in donating food are asked to drop it off between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Salvation Army of Monroe County, 815 E. First St. For more information, call (734) 241-0440.

I also have a page about food assistance in Monroe County, Mich.