Local charities need food donations

The local economy is growing, but not everyone has a high-paying job. Even families with two working parents are finding it harder to pay bills as food and gas prices go up along with utilities and insurance. Some people across the county are skipping meals.

"There's a lot of people still struggling to pay their bills," said Melissa Isaacs, executive director of the Bridge City-Orangefield Ministerial Alliance.

The Ministerial Alliance and other groups with food pantries across the county will be benefitting from a food drive this Friday, September 22, to help them assist the hungry.

"We're having trouble keeping our shelves stocked right now" because the number of requests is going up, Isaacs said.

The United Way of Orange County is sponsoring the food drive that will benefit the Ministerial Alliance, Salvation Army of Orange County, Orange Christian Services, United Christian Care Center of Vidor, and First Baptist Church Orange Mission Office.

Food will be collected from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at two sites, Isaacs said the donations will then be divided between the groups. The collections will be at the Salvation Army in Orange at 1950 Martin Luther King Drive at the Intersection with Strickland Drive, and the United Christian Care Center at 293 Wilson Street in Vidor.

Both places will be set up so vehicles can drive up and drivers drop of bags or packages of non-perishable foods like canned goods and dried beans and grains.

Major Robert Winter with the Salvation Army said items needed include cereal, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, pasta, spaghetti sauce, peanut butter, jelly. Other useful items may be meal fillers such as rice, stuffing mixes, or dried potato mixes.