The (Carrollton) Times-Georgian
Posted: July 23, 2008 7:33 p.m.
CARROLLTON, Ga. — As blue-collar and white-collar jobs alike continue to get chopped across the country and the housing market continues to spiral downward, many families are left wondering where their next meal will come from. Soup kitchens have long been an option for those down on their luck, but in tough economic times, even they are struggling to put food on the table.
When faced with turmoil and strife, sometimes you have to have a little faith, said Bobbye Jean Warford, manager of the Carroll County Soup Kitchen at 345 Beulah Church Road in Carrollton.
‘‘There have been times when I came in, and I knew that there wasn’t enough food but then sure enough, somebody comes in the door and gives it to us,’’ Warford said. ‘‘I have been in this long enough, and I believe it’s a God-given ministry. I believe God answers your prayers if you ask Him.’’ A 17-year volunteer at the kitchen, Warford has seen difficult times before but never quite like this. The kitchen has been delivering, on a monthly basis, 40 to 50 emergency packages of canned goods and bread to families across the county. Prior to March of this year, it was delivering less than a fourth of that.
While the kitchen serves hot meals the last full week of the month, the turnout on any given day is unpredictable. Overall, though, the kitchen is seeing roughly a 20 percent jump in those served over last year.
The reason, Warford said, is simple: The economy. ‘‘I have definitely seen an increase in the people coming in and saying they’ve lost their job and have nothing to eat,’’ she said. ‘‘All they have to do is come in and say ’I’m hungry.’’’
The shelter does not require that anyone show identification with the exception of the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It uses the month of December to distribute care boxes of food stuffs worth roughly $100. It’s during the holiday season that it sees the biggest increase in volunteer support as well as both monetary and canned good donations.
The only problem, said four-year volunteer Hugh Mitchell, is that the shelter is open year-round, and hunger knows no season. ‘‘There’s hungry people 365 days a year, every year,’’ Mitchell said. ‘‘People forget that we’re not just open on Thanksgiving and Christmas.’’
Only this year, the shelter is seeing few donations even for the summer months. Warford attributes this as well to the nationwide recession.
Groceries are becoming less likely to be donated, and consumers are more apt to hang on to damaged or dated merchandise to ensure that they receive proper reimbursement from the company. Increasing food costs have families hanging on to canned goods for their own meals. And no one feels quite as secure as they used to.
‘‘People’s money isn’t going as far at the grocery store. A loaf of bread is $2 and something. Everything is more expensive,’’ Warford said. ‘‘Companies are cutting down on their productions to try and get a better rate. The economy has slowed down all kinds of donations.’’
And it’s also creating difficulties for those who need the food. In recent years, Edward Holland has had a bout with an intestinal staph infection and broken back. But the main thing preventing the retired truck driver from making it to the kitchen is the ever-increasing price of gas.
‘‘Me and my wife drive here,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s because of the gas, getting here is hard on everybody.’’
Despite the hardships, nearly 40 hungry people showed up Monday on the first day of service for the month of July, and for many of those who were served by the 30-plus volunteers a simple lunch — spaghetti and salad with cake for dessert — it was more than worth the time and effort to make it to the kitchen and eat a decent meal. ‘‘This is a wonderful place,’’ Holland said. ‘‘I just thank God for it.’’
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