Hi Everyone. I took a break from education stories this week and went to the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Lorain. They just reopened after being closed for nearly three weeks. So many people need their help that they simply ran out of food. I met one woman who is out of work and has three children to feed. She was so grateful for the bag of cereal, pasta, peanut butter and canned vegetables she received. The organization says requests for emergency food have risen from 200 to over 700 families in the past two years. The good news is that the spirit of giving is alive and well in our area. People of all walks came together to fill the pantry shelves with food again. There were big donors who gave thousands of dollars…and there were the folks up the street who are hurting themselves but brought a couple of cans from their own cupboards. One man told me hopes his gift will encourage others to give as well. And the Salvation Army can certainly still use any and all donations. Already, the number of families they help at Christmas has more than doubled, and people are still asking for help.
