There was plenty of media commentary yesterday about the long lines that formed at polling stations around the country.

However, there have also been lots of other queues springing up in far-flung corners of the U.S. in recent months that have nothing to do with choosing our leadership -- and which don't seem to have gotten the same degree of saturation coverage.

More and more, Americans of all stripes are lining up in search of places to live, for jobs and other income-earning opportunities, and for what is supposed to be temporary assistance -- unemployment insurance, food stamps and welfare.

In addition, growing numbers of individuals and families are apparently queuing up in a desperate attempt to satisfy more basic needs. A Cincinnati Enquirer report, "Increasing Needs, Falling Gifts Have Food Pantries Worried" highlights a sobering trend.

People were lined up on Taylor Avenue when Judy Jackson opened the doors Tuesday morning.

They weren't waiting to vote.

The small crowd was lined up outside the Oakley Community Food Pantry to pick up staples like bread and canned fruit and vegetables.

At the St. Vincent de Paul Society's food pantry on Bank Street, some shelves are almost bare. The storage room is just about empty.

With just three weeks to go before Thanksgiving, area food pantries report that requests for help are up while donations of food and cash are down.

"There's more people standing in food pantry lines for the first time in their lives because of the economy and all the foreclosures," said Tina Osso, executive director of the Shared Harvest Foodbank in Fairfield. "It only follows that more people are going to need help for all the extra meals around the holidays."

Organizations wonder whether they'll be able to feed needy families.

"We are extremely concerned about what Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to bring," said Liz Carter, executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. "Last year, the end of the day came for our Thanksgiving distribution, and we had, like, three turkeys left. I'm very concerned that this year, the end of the day will come and we'll have a line of people and nothing to give them."

Normally, the agency distributes Thanksgiving dinner fixings to 400 people. "We think the need is going to be much bigger this year than it ever has been before," Carter said.

Carter and others blamed the poor economy.

In Butler County, the number of families seeking help through the Holiday Community Project has increased steadily since 2006, Osso said.

This year, 1,056 families have registered for Thanksgiving meals, compared to 942 in 2007 and 883 in 2006, Osso said.

Registration is still going on for help with Christmas food and gifts, and Osso expects to see those numbers increase as well.

The campaign has raised about $72,000 for food and gifts, but it needs another $82,000 to meet the requests filed so far.

At the FreestoreFoodbank, requests for help have increased about 55 percent over the last three years, said Brian MacConnell, an agency spokesman.

In 2005, the food bank fed 72,142 people, he said, while last year, it fed 111,968.

"We're going to outpace that this year," MacConnell said. "We can see it already."

Donations haven't kept up, he said, although donors have been "generous."

As far as Thanksgiving dinners, MacConnell said, in 2005, the Freestore distributed 4,822 dinners that fed 14,752 people.

Last year, the Freestore gave away 5,875 dinners to feed 19,434 people. MacConnell expects a 10 to 15 percent increase this year, he said.

MacConnell and Gail Koford at Inter Parish Ministry in Newtown said they're seeing an increase in first-time clients.

"We're seeing people who have not been our clients before. We're seeing people who have maybe two-income families who haven't needed to come to us before," MacConnell said. "It's tough out there."

Jackson said her pantry is serving about 35 families a week, up about a fourth from last year.

"And it's families, not just individuals. A couple years ago, it was a lot of singles, but now we're getting families. They just can't stretch the budget any further," she said.

Source >  Financial Armageddon | nov 05

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