Dec 5, 2008 11:39 am US/Central
Lost Jobs Means Increase At Food Shelves
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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Dan Huffman has had trouble paying for groceries since he stopped getting a paycheck from his employer. Last month, for the first time, he had to go to the PRISM food shelf in Golden Valley, Minn. to get help.
CBS
More and more families are finding that after the bills are paid, they don't have enough money to buy all the groceries they need and many of them are turning to food shelves.
A social service agency in Golden Valley called PRISM estimates that more than 50 percent of people using food shelves in our state are employed, but said the organization is seeing an alarming number of new people coming to them for help. A lot of times, the people have just lost their jobs.
When his daughter gets home from school, Dan Huffman, of Plymouth, Minn., knows one of the first things he has to do is make her something to eat.
It's become hard to do since he stopped getting a paycheck from his employer.
A contract dispute forced a lock-out at the factory where he works. Last month, for the first time, Huffman had to go the PRISM food shelf to get help with groceries.
"There are a lot of people out there, especially right now, who really need the help and they got nowhere else to turn," Huffman said. "My family is back in Indiana, over 600 miles away, so I don't have that fail safe."
Linda Wells is a case worker for PRISM. She said Huffman is like a lot of the people the food shelf is now seeing.
"The numbers have been going up every month. Probably one of the biggest things I have noticed there are a number of families who have lost jobs or had their hours cut back," Wells said.
The next challenge for PRISM and other food shelves around the state is the winter break that most schools will take at the end of December. With schools closed for almost two weeks, kids who normally rely on the cafeteria for a free breakfast and lunch will have to rely on their families to feed them.
"We are going to be inundated here with requests for food," Wells said. There are families that have lost their jobs or are having a hard time, they don't have the food or resources to feed their kids all day long."
Vicki Slater, of New Hope, Minn., has four young children. Her husband's job was just cut back to three days a week. She relies on this food shelf to keep her family from going hungry.
"I hate to say it but sometimes it is embarrassing. Because you know ... at first I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would have to use a food shelf. But I have gotten used to coming here because they are so open and so helpful," Slater said.
PRISM stands for People Responding In Social Ministry. Families in need are able to make an appointment and choose their own 10-15-day supply of food.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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