Some economic forecasters may say things are looking up, but you can’t tell it by a visit to the Madison County Food Bank.
The food bank, located in the local ACTION office in Danielsville, has given out 87,906 pounds of food to over 400 families in the last 12 months and provided $18,536 in emergency shelter funding, director Bobbie Rooker said last week. The emergency funding was gone in four months and Rooker says they could have spent that amount four times over.
And just this month, 28 more referrals for food assistance have come in – more than twice the average number the agency receives during a “normal” month.
But then, there hasn’t been a “normal” month in quite a while.
“I don’t know what people are going to do,” Rooker said, adding that the worst of it is that she doesn’t see an end in sight.
And while the need for life’s basics continues to grow, the Christmas season is also approaching, which means the center is gearing up for its annual Christmas kids’ program to distribute gifts to needy children.
Last year, Christmas gifts were provided for more than 200 households (579 children) in Madison County, well above the usual number.
And Rooker expects even more applications for assistance this year.
In fact, people are already calling to ask for Christmas help.
“The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” she said.
The agency will take applications for Christmas assistance this year Oct. 26 – Nov. 12, Mondays through Thursdays, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Applicants must come to the office to sign up, Rooker said.
“The needs just continue to grow, I don’t see any lessening,” she said, pointing out that Social Security benefit amounts have been frozen for two years, which also places an additional hardship for those living on fixed incomes.
“Their checks may have been frozen, but their bills aren’t,” she said.
And people are continuing to lose their jobs – a story Rooker hears most every day.
“A woman came by last week, she’d had an accident and been out of work so long that (her employer) let her go,” Rooker said. “So I gave her some food, and then I handed her a bottle of shampoo, and that’s when she cried.”
The next day, Rooker said the woman called to thank her, saying she had “saved her life” by giving her some shampoo so she could clean up.
“When people don’t even have the basics to feel clean, that’s bad,” she said.
But while the needs mount, Rooker also notes that the community “has really stepped up to the plate.”
Individuals, churches, schools and civic organizations have all continued, and in some cases increased, their donations of food and money.
“One lady, a senior citizen herself, comes by to give a donation of $100-$150 every month,” she said. “It’s really heartening, especially now.”
