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Marshall County Can-A-Thon under way
Published November 19, 2009
The 11th annual Can-A-Thon needs your help.
United Way of Marshall County, 2-1-1, WAFF 48, Salvation Army and Temporary Emergency Services of Arab will team up to provide food for local families in need on Dec. 3 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Guntersville Wal-Mart.
The charities goal for 2009 is to collect 50,000 cans. In 2008, hundreds of volunteers donated 61,821 cans of food, valued at $55,021.
“We appreciate the generosity of the schools, businesses, civic groups and individuals who take the time to support this event. Without their food donations, we could not feed the hundreds of families who benefit from Can-A-Thon each year,” said Betty Terrell, director of 2-1-1.
“If Can-A-Thon reaches or exceeds the goal of 50,000 cans, area food pantries will be able to serve a significantly higher number of people in Marshall County.”
Food pantries in the county were able to fill and distribute more than 32,000 emergency food boxes with donations from the 2008 Can-A-Thon. Boxes were distributed to the Salvation Army, Tennessee Valley Family Services, Meals on Wheels, Coalition Against Domestic Violence, TESA and other United Way funded agencies.
Suggested donations to the annual Can-A-Thon event include canned meats (tuna, chicken, Spam and stew), canned fruits and vegetables, canned juices, plastic jars of peanut butter, cereal, canned and dried soups, boxed pastas and rice.
Schools and civic groups in Marshall County have undertaken canned food drives already in October and early November to benefit the Can-A-Thon, Terrell said.
“Food pantries are always short on food during the holiday season, but due to the toughest economic times in 20 years, food shortages are at epidemic proportions. Most people who rely on emergency food are not homeless or unemployed. The majority of the households requesting food assistance have at least one full-time working family member. With the number of food requests rising, especially during the holiday season, your canned and non-perishable donations are extremely important,” Terrell said.
Marshall County residents can dial 2-1-1 for more information on health and human services needs.
In Marshall County, more than 3,500 calls were handled at the local 2-1-1 center, a 30 percent increase over years past.
“A lot of the calls are coming from people who have never asked for assistance before. These families used to be a two-income household, now they’re a one-income or no-income. This is a true indication of how widespread the recession really is. They’ve tightened their belts as much as they can to make the budget go as far as it can, but still need assistance,” Terrell said.
2-1-1 operators answer calls during the week from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At night and on weekends, the calls are handled by the Birmingham crisis center operators.
For health and human services assistance, callers can dial 2-1-1 or 582-0506.
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