Video: Alabama social services need help

BIRMINGHAM, Ala—It wouldn’t be surprising if Larry Logan at the United Way Community Food Bank has had some sleepless nights lately.

So far this year he’s spent 40% of his purchase budget to keep local food pantries stocked, and we’re not even through the first quarter of 2009.

“We’re seeing people seeking assistance now that’s never had to have assistance before,” Logan told NBC13 HD News.

That’s a story being repeated all across the state, as people once relied upon to help the needy end up on the other side of the line.

Because of that, the food bank has shipped 380,000 more pounds of food this year over the same period in 2008.

“At the end of the year, you’ve got Thanksgiving and Christmas coming, so god knows what we’re going to do then, we just have to hope for the best,” Logan said.

The pantry at the Salvation Army is looking bare these days, too.

The agency houses about 400 people a night in its shelters, and is being hit in three areas:

“We see a rise in clients, a dip in donations and as the cost of everything goes up, it costs us more to serve people, too,” spokesperson Tree Davidson said.

As the weather warms up, the amount of people seeking shelter usually drops some, but not this year.

“We’ve been consistently full since last fall around October, we’ve been consistently full since then,” she said.

How will these agencies make it through these tough times?

With some help from generous people and a whole lot of prayer.

“The Salvation Army is an organization of faith, we have faith God will provide for us and those who come to us in need,” Davidson told us.

The United Way Food Bank is in need of cash or food donations.

To contact them, click this link.

The Salvation Army needs towels, food, and cash.

To contact them, click here.