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July 17, 2008

‘At the desperation point’ - Cullman Caring For Kids food bank running on empty

By Trent Moore

CULLMAN — By Trent Moore

trentm@cullmantimes.com



The Cullman Caring For Kids food bank is low — very low.

“We’re at a point where we need help,” Director Javon Daniel said. “We’re at the desperation point.”

The agency ideally tries to operate with a surplus — but Daniel said they are currently on the verge of running completely out of food.

“We try to keep enough to last two to three weeks, so if everything just shut down we could stay open,” he said. “But now, it seems everyday it just gets a little more desperate.”

Daniel attributed various factors to the shortage of incoming donations, namely the economy.

“The economy is a lot worse,” he said. “Fuel prices, gas prices, grocery prices and everything else is going up.”

In addition to economic issues, Daniel said the summer months are normally a slower period as far as donations and food drives are concerned.

“You’ve got people on vacation that normally donate monetarily or host food drives, but they aren’t here,” he said. “Schools also do food drives, but they’re not is session in the summer.”

A rise in senior citizens using the food bank has also started taking a toll on supply.

“We have a lot of seniors coming in now, because that few dollars they get per month stopped going as far as it did,” Daniel said. “Some of them are having to pick and choose — do I buy my medicine or buy food to survive?”

With more people than ever streaming through the doors at Cullman Caring For Kids seeking help, Daniel said with donations taking a dive it is becoming harder and harder to help everyone.

“We have more going out, but don’t have the donations coming in,” he said. “We’ve had seventeen new families in less than a week and we’re probably up to 500 families a month now. We help as many people as we can help. ”

Daniel said even the influx of donations from the recent postal carrier food drive in May has long since been depleted.

“What we received from the postal workers was great,” he said. “That was a pretty fair amount, but it’s long gone.”

Even with the situation looking dire, Daniel said his faith in the people of Cullman never wavers when it comes to giving support.

“Cullman folks have the most powerful sense of giving,” he said. “They always come through to meet the needs for those who are struggling.”

Anyone interested in donating can drop food off at the agency’s office on Arnold Street NE, or call 739-1111 for more information.

“If it’s just a can or two or a truckload, we take whatever we can get,” Daniel said.

The Cullman Caring For Kids food bank is a United Way agency, which distributes approximately 4-6 tons of food to local families per month. Food is distributed based on financial need.

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