Features
Related Photos
-
JERIANNE STRANGE
Tools
Food banks hoping for touchdown
Agencies offering prizes as part of drive at football matchup
GLASGOW — Area food banks are in a tight spot: Demand is up, while supplies and donations are down. An increase in the number of people seeking assistance is causing some local food pantry shelves to run dry.
In an effort to help replenish food supplies, the Barren County Board of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program is sponsoring a food drive Saturday in conjunction with T.J. Samson Community Hospital’s Health Care Career Football Bowl at Barren County High School.
“We’ve seen at least a 50 percent increase in the number of people we’re serving,” said Sue Haynes, executive director of Community Relief Fund. “Most of the people coming in now are people who have never been in before, never had to ask for assistance. It’s not just the low-income people anymore.”
It’s a trend food banks nationwide are experiencing.
According to a survey conducted by America’s Second Harvest, a national network of food banks, 49 of the 84 food banks that responded said they couldn’t meet the increased demand without decreasing the amount of food they distribute to each person.
Like their customers, food pantries are paying more for gas, food and utilities.
“People are having to make some tough choices,” Haynes said. “Some have got to choose between medicine, utilities, gas for the car. These are some tough times.”
So far this year, Community Relief has served 2,233 people.
Sherry Jones, Barren County Fiscal Court Clerk and finance officer, said members of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program board realized the need for food at area pantries and thought a food drive at the football game might generate a fair amount of donations.
For each canned food item or $1 donation, the donor will get a chance to win a prize, including a Glasgow Scottie Cornhole Set and a Barren County Trojan Cornhole Set.
Donations only cover entry into the prize giveaway. Admission to the game is $5 per person.
The first game features the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots and the Glasgow Scotties and begins at 6 p.m. The second match begins at 8 p.m. and is between the Barren County Trojans and the Metcalfe County Hornets. Prizes will be given away during the halftime of the second game. The ticket holder must be present to win.
Only non-perishable food items will be accepted. Items past the expiration dates will not be accepted. Agencies receiving food items include Community Relief Fund, Community Action of Southern Kentucky, Glasgow Housing Corporation and Barren River Area Safe Space.
“The need for food in our local pantries is an issue,” Jones said. “We wanted to do something to get the word out that these agencies are in need.”
- Features
-
-
Patience is key with middle schoolers
Their lives are filled with drama too. Girls crave popularity and boys don’t. Girls never want to go to the bathroom alone and guys want to pull a chair out from under someone or swap licks. They all like to tattle and write notes.
-
The making of maple syrup
Sophie and I are both watching Mark Green skim the sap as it boils in the kettle. We’re in the Greens’ big back yard, near where it meets the woods.
-
Family Affair
When Claire and I began to put our plan into motion we hoped our boys would not only witness a world class sporting event but also expose their young and impressionable minds to different cultures and experiences that would create positive life lessons.
-
The gift of music was well used by family
Not to be bragging, but I come from a musically gifted family.
-
Granddaughter makes a day brighter
Now and again, when my routine seems dull and boredom sets in, I succumb to a rather ho-hum mood. That’s how it was going one cloudy day last week.
-
Homemade is not always best
“Mama, you’ve got to see this,” my grown daughter led me to a colorful booth at a craft fair in Nashville.
-
Losing the ability to be astounded
I’ve never had an urge to howl at the moon. Yet, back mid-way through the past century, I once saw fellow do just that.
-
Not all bumps are a bad thing
You don’t want to take a bump to your head. That’s for sure. And you don’t want your car to get bumped in the parking lot. That’s not good.
-
Valentine’s day brings out love songs
I am going to design a shirt that says, “I Love Love Songs.” I’ll have a heart, of course, instead of love; just like the other I love shirts. Valentine’s Day will bring out a repertoire of love songs dating back to pre WWII.
-
Grandchild sparks flashback
One of the reasons why I enjoy observing the passages of my grandchildren is that, to some degree, they provide opportunities for me to reconnect to my own childhood.
- More Features Headlines
-
Patience is key with middle schoolers
