Published: November 25, 2009 12:52 am      

Hunger relief appeal yields donations

Greenup — Two weeks ago, the call went out to Greenup Countians: Hunger in their county is a problem that won’t go away without their help.

The bulging shelves at Helping Hands of Greenup County show that county residents listened — and gave.

A food drive netted more than 14,000 pounds of food, with another trailerload yet to unload and add to the total, said Tammy Steele, director of the Greenup Homeless Education program.

More food would be welcome and is still needed, but right now what Helping Hands needs is some actual helping hands — to sort and put the food into suitable storage until it is ready to distribute.

Steele knows that to some extent, the usual holiday-season generosity kicked in and prompted some donations. She is convinced, however, that many donors responded to her hopeful message: that just a little bit of help from a whole lot of people can go a long way toward feeding the masses.

The stories have been coming in with the food:

‰The pastor who challenged his congregation to buy two of everything for Thanksgiving dinner, one for their own families and one to donate.

‰The interdepartmental challenge at Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital that yielded a mountain of food.

‰The similar challenge at the Greenup County Courthouse and satellite offices in Flatwoods and South Shore that brought in even more.

Other churches and businesses issued similar challenges, she said.

Her Homeless and Hunger Awareness Week campaign worked, she believes.

“I had no idea people would respond the way they did ... I think people are becoming more aware,” Steele said.

What they need to be aware of chiefly is that hunger is a year-round problem and that shelves don’t stay full without sustained giving.

“People bring food all Christmas long, but when you hand that out, it doesn’t take long to go,” said Wetzel “Junior” Mayse, a volunteer at Helping Hands.

Helping Hands hopes to shine a similar light on other needs in the county, said director Scarlet Grubb. She hopes to organize another awareness campaign around what she calls “a year of possibilities.”

She can think of a few just off the top of her head.

With enough donations, it’s possible that everyone in Greenup County could have at least one warm blanket.

The county could have a temporary shelter or transitional housing, if enough people helped out.

She is having a meeting at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Flatwoods Giovanni’s for anyone willing to help with ideas or work.

Any community member wanting to work with Steele’s homelessness task force may call her at (606) 473-1447. The group has about 20 members and Steele plans to start in January to work on community needs.

Those willing to help sort the food at Helping Hands may call (606) 473-6916, Grubb said. The organization, based at 412 Main St. in Greenup, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.