THOMASVILLE, GA (WALB) - The unemployment rate in southwest Georgia rose in December. Proof that a lot of people are still struggling.
Combine the increasing demand with decreasing donations and south Georgia food banks are stretched to their limits.
Thomas County Food Bank volunteer Bob Henderson says a growing number of local families are turning to them for help during these hard economic times. "The need for donations appears to be ever escalating. Just when you think its reached a plateau, it jumps up again."
The Boy and Girl Scout Troops in Thomas County are doing their best to help. The Fifth Annual Scouting For Food Drive is underway and continues through Saturday.
"Donations are the reason we can function. The reason we can open the three days a week that we are open. That we depend almost entirely on donations of one type," said Volunteer Coordinator Mandy Hall.
Last year the Scouts collected a total of 5,300 hundred pounds of food. This year they're shooting for 6,000."
Hall says this drive could not have come at a better time. "We are pretty well out of things that came in over the holidays so we are looking forward to having this come in this weekend and we really appreciate what these kids are doing for us."
Henderson says food is not the only thing they need. "We can always use volunteers and if they have no skills that's ok too. We'll give them some cause they don't need to many. They just need willingness to work."
Henderson says the clients are very appreciative of the service the Food Bank provides. "We got a lot of poor people. Got lots of poor people in this country that most people don't even know about. And I hope they care, but we'll find out this weekend when the boy scouts bring their stuff in."
The scouts will be collecting the food this Saturday from more than three thousand homes in Thomas County.
For the first time this year, there are food drop bins at Big Lots and the two Harvey's locations in Thomasville.
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