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Food
shortage approaching
a crisis point!
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All
across the nation in the fall of 2011, food banks and pantries, soup
kitchens, and homeless shelters are scrambling to obtain ever
diminishing sources of food for the hungry. Some food pantries have even closed their doors.
One segment of our community is feeling the economic slump much more
than the rest. One third of Williamsburg County has slipped below the
poverty level, and the other counties we serve are only slightly
better.
Caring and Sharing is no different. We are thankful that we have never
had to turn any qualified recipient away, but we also recognize that it
is getting harder to supply the growing need with dwindling resources.
Staples that we used to get free for the shipping from the USDA have been greatly reduced.
Groceries have trimmed donations as a cost-cutting measure. Some former
foods are no longer available because of new health regulations. And
area-wide organizations such as the Low Country Food Bank are getting
less and less food, so their shipments to us have been reduced.
In the last month, we have had to purchase staples such as rice and
beans. This is an unsustainable temporary measure, as we cannot use our
operating funds in this way for long.
We are soliciting extra help from the community, both for funding and
food. Two new sources that are helping with the shortage are donations
of venison from hunters and donations, and donations of surplus produce
from gardeners. But these are seasonal, and we have always relied on
canned food drives for a large chunk of our supply - a source which
continues, but has diminished.
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This page
is always under construction.
