Help feed the hungry throughout the Wiregrass

Have you ever been hungry, but didn’t have food or the money to buy food to satisfy your hunger?

Most of us have never truly experienced hunger. There’s a big difference between not eating lunch and being hungry at dinner time and not having any food and going day to day not knowing when you are going to eat again.

Hunger exists everywhere and the Wiregrass is not immune to it. You want a sobering statistic? There are about 35,000 needy individuals in the Wiregrass who will go hungry on any given day. That’s one in six people in the Wiregrass.

Hunger affects people of every color and age. The elderly and children make up a large segment of the hungry.

The Eagle wants to help with this problem. For the second straight year, the Eagle will sponsor a fund raiser by inserting envelopes for the United Way Wiregrass Area Food Bank into 25,000 of its newspapers on Friday, July 11.

Last year, our readers responded with an incredible total of $13,327. To show you the impact of that amount, take that total and multiply it by 10. That’s how many meals the Food Bank could provide through last year’s fundraiser.

The Food Bank does an incredible job of providing for the needy throughout the Wiregrass. Through America’s Second Harvest, the Food Bank can purchase food so cheaply that they can sell it for 14 cents a pound.

For full disclosure, I am on the Food Bank board of directors. Food Bank Executive Director David Hanks and his staff do a tremendous job. They truly love what they do and that makes all the difference.

The Food Bank distributed more than 2.5 million pounds in 2007 and has distributed 36 million pounds since its inception in July 1990.

Due to the downturn of the American economy, more people now need help. People who once faithfully donated to the Food Bank are now seeking help.
The Food Bank is feeling the effect of the struggling economy. Through the first six months of this year, donations to the Food Bank are down 12 percent compared to the same period in 2007.

Combine that with increased operating costs due to higher fuel prices and you can see how tough things are. Now, more people need their help.

We all have the opportunity to help our neighbors through this fund raiser.

Last month the Eagle asked readers to donate for a fan drive to help the needy. Because of your generosity, we were able to donate 240 fans to the Salvation Army. Many of those fans will go to shut-ins. Thank you so much for giving. Imagine the smile on the faces of the people who receive those fans.

Now, we have another great opportunity to help the needy in our community. Watch for the envelope in your newspaper next week and give if it is at all possible. If you can give a dollar or $1,000, every dollar makes a difference. Remember, a dollar can provide 10 meals. Every penny you give goes directly to the Food Bank, and your gift is tax deductible.

Together, we can make a difference.

Watch for the Food Bank envelope in the July 11 Dothan Eagle.

Ken Tuck is the managing editor of the Dothan Eagle and regional editor of Media General Alabama Newspapers. He can be reached at or 712-7960.