November 12, 2003
Albany- When Richard Boyd shops at the Food Bank for the food program at the Beattie Road Church of Christ, he knows he needs enough to feed at least 15 families a week.
"The Food Bank has helped us an awful lot because we can make our money go a lot further," said Boyd, the church's deacon of benevolence.
That's what the Food Bank of Southwest Georgia is for. But with the number of hungry families on the rise and donations dropping, the job is getting harder.
"Unfortunately, we're kind of caught in a rip saw here with donations of food and dollars to the food bank down this year," said Executive Director Eddie Byrd.
The Food Bank of Southwest Georgia serves about 115,000 families throughout its 20 county area. That's not coming close to getting food on the table of everyone who needs it. If the Food Bank fed the entire poverty population in Southwest Georgia two meals a day, 365 days a year, it would take 250 million pounds of food.
"Last year, we distributed 3 million pounds of food," Byrd said.
Food drives throughout November will help feed the hungry through the holidays. It's the new year that brings the hardest times.
"After Christmas, when food banks and hunger and families who are less fortunate are not on the top of everyone's mind, that's when we need the food the worst," Byrd said.
But as long at there's food in this warehouse, Boyd will keep stacking it up and getting it where it needs to go.
"You have some that don't seem to appreciate it as much as others, but the ones that you know need it," he said. "And some of them are very needy."
And knowing he's helping is what keeps him shopping.
posted at 8:50 p.m. by brannon.stewart@walb.com
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