Hidden hunger: Economic conditions mean those who can should share

It's Friday -- and for some Wayne County families, that is a pretty tough time.

It is the end of the week and the money is tight -- and the food available in the cupboards and refrigerator is limited.

School will be out for a couple of days, so the free breakfasts and lunches will not be an option to help ease the cost of providing food for the children.

And those are just the Wayne County residents who are already struggling to make ends meet.

Add to that the many others who are new victims of the economy and who are facing job loss and poverty for the first time.

Many of them do not even have the option of help from any other source -- they have to figure out how to stretch a budget on their own.

All of the stress caused by the economic slowdown has taken its toll on local agencies that battle hunger in Wayne County. Their coffers empty quickly as they try to provide help for families who are having a tough time right now.

But this Saturday morning, the rest of us can help.

Stamp Out Hunger is an annual event that asks county residents to put food out by their mailboxes to be picked up by postal carriers. The drive will cover residents with a Goldsboro ZIP code, including 27530 through 27534, but anyone can donate by dropping off food at the Berkeley Station and Downtown post offices.

It does not take much effort really to put out some non-perishable food -- but the results could be very important -- they could feed a family.

Published in Editorials on May 8, 2009 11:02 AM