Oct 1, 2008 5:59 pm US/Eastern
Food Banks Struggle To Keep Up As Economy Sinks
WORCESTER (WBZ) ―
While many Americans worry about the
stock market and corporations their bottom line, others who can't afford to go to the supermarket get in the lunch line at places such as
Massachusetts Veterans Inc. in Worcester.
"Chicken or meatballs or pork?," asked a server as the line grew.
Ron approached one of the customers. "You're worried about your lifeline being affected by the economy?"
"Yes. I've exhausted all my systems," explained Max Welch of Boston, who says since he served in Army intelligence, he has been served at the shelter off and on when times have been tough.
"So this is the only place you can come when you do need help?"
"Yeah, basically and it's a brotherhood," Welch answered.
Vincent Perrone, president of Mass. Veterans Inc. says, "We served over 7,000 individuals, including our hot meals program, over 300,000 meals (this) year."
Perrone adds that more than 800 families are registered in the organization's food bank and that number is growing, but donations are decreasing by about 12 percent.
So instead of giving out the usual two weeks of groceries twice a month, the food bank here is giving out 10 days of groceries at a time.
Ron visited the food bank with the shelter's executive director, Dennis Leary. "Are there some corporate angels or philanthropists who you might be able to reach out to or who might reach out to you?" he asked.
"Right, I think that the philanthropists in the community are always there," Leary said.
Mass Veterans are now planning several fund raisers as they worry about possible cuts in federal grants, to pay for the bailout, and as donors on whom they depend on worry about economic calamity.
"That's a perfect point, Ron," says Leary, "I think our staff and the veterans we serve have been living with this kind of reality for years and years and years."
He says in good times and bad, one thing Mass. Veterans Inc. has always counted on is goodwill in the community; and that's what it's counting on this time.
The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans estimates that, nationally, on any given night 200,000 veterans are homeless.
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