By Heather Posey, Staff Writer
In their attempt to continue to meet the needs of low-income families in Long Beach, The Salvation Army is asking the public to assist with its need of supplying the rapidly depleting food pantry.
The Salvation Army’s food pantry serves as a safety net for low-income residents and families.
“We get a lot of singles and people with families,” said Family Services Coordinator Barbara Taft. “We also get a lot of seniors too.”
Yet these needy families, and particularly senior citizens, are at risk of having their emergency food source taken away due to the food pantry’s short supply.
With the food service the Salvation Army provides, residents sign up to be on an emergency food program in which once every two months they are provided with two grocery bags filled with food including rice, beans, cereal, pasta and soup. Nothing that requires refrigeration is included, and bags are organized based on the person’s needs.
“If the person happens to be homeless, we give them cans that can be opened by hand,” said Taft. “And if another person has small children, we’ll give them the baby’s cereal and condensed milk. It all depends on their needs.”
And for those that require more frequent care, the Salvation Army refers them to other facilities in an attempt to help them get back on their feet.
“We’re a bridge that connects those that have means to those that have the needs,” said Glen Madsen, Salvation Army commanding officer.
Yet due to the increased cost of living and other factors, the number of residents in need has increased nearly 40 percent over the past year. Although assistance from the local elementary schools that participate in food drives and contributions from organizations such as Long Beach Transit has helped, the Salvation Army is still in need of more foods to get them through the upcoming holiday season.
“We have exhausted the foods we’ve got that were donated,” said Madsen.
The food supply has been so scarce that, according to Madsen, they have limited the number of people that are coming to the Salvation Army for its food services, which he indicates plays a part in why bags are only supplied every other month.
In regards to the food pantry crisis, the Salvation Army is asking people to donate food to their center, located at 455 East Spring Street in Long Beach. They note that some of the specific items in need are soups, powdered milks, canned tuna, 1 lb. boxes of sugar, and rice, among others.
Those who wish to donate money are asked to make a check payable to “The Salvation Army,” writing “Food Pantry” on the memo line and send it to the same address. The money will be utilized by purchasing foods through wholesale markets.
For more information about the Salvation Army, call (562) 426-7637.
