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Hey, I just wanted to leave a message that food banks desperately need your help. With all the troubles in the economy, more people are looking to food banks for help at the same time that demand at the food banks are traditionally the highest. Our local food bank has put out an urgent needs for certain items: pancake mix and syrup, jelly, edible soups (no cream of… that you can’t eat), and cereals. They put out a critical need because they’ve completely run out of these items.

It’s great that a lot of people donate at Thanksgiving and Christmas, don’t get me wrong, but hunger knows no season (sorry, Salvation Army) and food banks are traditionally stretched during the summer. Why? Because kids that normally get free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school don’t get those services during the summer. This leads to a bigger strain at food banks where people turn to when they can’t afford those meals.

If you ate breakfast this morning be thankful for that and think about those that didn’t have that option. If you think that you can’t give because of high gas and food prices, imagine all of those that make less than you. If you give up $4 lattes for one week, you can provide food for a family for a couple of days. Stay in one night and donate that $20 to the food bank to do the same thing. Go to the grocery store and pick up a few items on sale and drop them off at the pantry.

If you don’t know where to donate, the National Hunger Clearinghouse has a page for searching for food pantries in your area. While this is more for people looking for help, contacting these agencies and offering help certainly won’t be refused.

Please give what you can to help those that can’t.