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Last updated 9:56 am CT February 09, 2010.

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Food Drop Helps Hundreds

PERRY COUNTY-- The job market is still tight across our region. Every local county except Jackson had more than 8% unemployment last month. Franklin County was at 15%, making it the second highest in the state. Hardin, Alexander, Pulaski and Perry counties are all around 12%. With so many families struggling, one Perry County food bank is working to ease the burden.

At the Least of Brethren Food Pantry in Pinckneyville...

"We're ready to get this thing going!"

Volunteers unload pallets of potatoes, tomatoes, cookies, you name it...

"Lights, action, camera, Jesus! Full speed ahead! Man the torpedoes, we're ready to go!"

And pack it into trunks, truck beds and vans...

"Twenty-five tons of food- $100,000 worth of food. The largest food drop in Southern Illinois."

Pantry Director, George Culley, calls it a unique 21st century food drive by.

"It touches your heart. I wish people would come out here and just seize the moment- feel the moment. This is great! This is a glorious day!"

And that's because, for many in southern Illinois, the story is the same.

"Right now there's a lot of people having hard times, children just starting school, all that extra expense," explains longtime volunteer Carl Peradotta. "This food drop is gonna be a God send for the people here in this community."

"There's no work out there for anybody," says Mary Dobyns, as she waits her turn in line. "So everybody's gotta go where ever they can to provide for their kids."

David Illig of Cutler is also in line. His situation is different than Mary's, but similar to many in the area, "When you're on a set income and that runs low- it makes it rough."

Getting food requires vouchers which were issued to regulars of the Least of Brethren earlier this month...

The line of cars goes on for more than a mile. More than 200 families were expected to show. Each with a voucher and each with a kind word to say about the folks who are helping them out.

"I think it's great. Yeah, it's great that they're helping everybody," says Linda Creech as she waits in line.

"That's awesome they have volunteers to help," explains Brenda Fesler as volunteers load food into the back of her van. "Yeah, all the volunteers. I thank them all."

"I thank God that there's still people helping people," says Illig. "That means a lot."

More than 230 families from across the area picked up food Tuesday morning. The St. Louis Area Food bank selects one county from Missouri or Illinois for the food drop each month.

By: Rachel Gartner
rgartner@wsiltv.com

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