Local Charities Struggle to Provide Food and Clothing to Those Who Need it Most

She rolls up to the counter of the restaurant in the food court of a local shopping mall. She's wearing a bright red sweater that fits in well with the festive holiday season. "Just a second." she says as she turns the power chair around to navigate it a little closer so she can reach the menu that's sitting on the counter. I told her that I too had spent a few months in a wheelchair when I broke my leg last summer. She explained that she had broken her foot in several places and it was having a difficult time healing. The bottom of her foot was rounded in shape because of it and she couldn't walk on it. After she got her food, she wheeled back across the food court to the table where she was volunteering for The Giving Tree, a local St. Louis service organization that collects warm clothing for needy children in the area. Some folks, despite considerable adversity in their own lives, always manage to be able to help other people out at this time of year. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Rosie Clay, the director of The Giving Tree. She provided the following information:

Food pantries and other organizations that help the poor in the St. Louis area and around the country are struggling to find help and keep their shelves stocked this year. It seems that each year demand grows as more and more people seek help. It doesn't help that contributions from the federal government are shrinking too. Local food pantries for example, have seen a whopping 700,000-pound reduction in food contributions this year, and it seems to get worse in the winter.

One of the most vulnerable groups are the children. Every year you read about the Toys For Tots programs collecting toys for Christmas, and it's certainly nice having a present underneath the tree. But the two most important donations are food and warm winter clothing.