HANCOCK - Economically difficult times means more people are looking for assistance getting food, but it also means people who usually donate food may not be able to do so, and that fact is causing concern this year for officials with Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly in Hancock.
Mike Aten, LBFE executive director, said the organization's annual food drive begins Nov. 4 with the placement in The Daily Mining Gazette of paper grocery bags to fill with donated food.
"That food drive, we really count on," he said.
Those packaged food items are used to make up the LBFE holiday food packages, and to stock the organization's food pantry.
The filled grocery bags will be collected Nov. 7, Aten said. They are usually collected by members of the Lambda Chi fraternity at Michigan Technological University, but they won't be available this year.
"We're a little concerned," he said.
Because the fraternity won't be available, Aten said he's looking for volunteers to collect the bags.
Aten said in the past, the LBFE food drives have provided as much as 10,000 pounds of packaged food items, and as little as 3,000 pounds, with 7,000 pounds collected in 2007.
"Last year, it was a little down (at 5,000 pounds)," he said. "We're hoping for 7,000 pounds this year."
Although the donated food items are used mostly for the holiday packages, Aten said some of it is used for the LBFE holiday dinners at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Most of the food for the dinners is fresh, however, and much of that is donated.
Aten said he expects another increase in people seeking assistance for wood, or to take advantage of the organization's program to provide cut fire wood to seniors who use it as their exclusive source of heat or as a supplement.
"We have more walk-ins now (at the Hancock office)," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's a 10 percent to 20 percent increase this year (over last year)."
Aten said he expects to serve about 1,100 holiday meals this year, but that includes dinners for volunteers.
"We're going to expect about 800 elderly to be served this year," he said.
Aten said he also expects to make up about 200 holiday food packages this year. If enough food isn't collected during the food drive next week, he plans to seek donations from other sources, particularly local businesses, which have been helpful with past food drives.
He understands many people may not be able to help out with food donations this year because of the state's economic troubles, but he hopes people who haven't donated in the past will this year.
"The community is just strapped," he said.
To learn about donating to LBFE food drive, or about volunteering, call 482-6944.
Kurt Hauglie can be reached at khauglie @mininggazette.com.
