Alan Mauldin
MOULTRIE — Despite an increase of up to 20 percent in food distributed in 2009, the Colquitt County Food Bank has had adequate donations to meet the need.
In recent weeks the organization, founded in 1982, has been gearing up for the annual Christmas event that distributes turkeys, hams and other holiday fare for the season, Director Andy Jordan said.
The food bank expects to serve as many as 8,000 people through the year, up from about 7,300 in 2008, and has noticed an increase through all of 2009, Jordan said. The biggest month was April when more than 800 individuals and families were served.
“The economy is most of it,” Jordan said of the increased need the food bank is seeing. “We’re very fortunate in Colquitt County. We haven’t had an unemployment rate as high as a lot of surrounding counties.
“We’ll give food to probably 8,000 people this year -- over 4,000 families.”
Donations from the community have been keeping up with the demand, Jordan said.
“This time of the year, I can’t say enough about Colquitt County,” he said. “Whenever there’s been a need they’ve always met it.”
Jordan predicted that about 600 people will pick up Christmas packages on Dec. 16 and 17, up from 545 who were served last year.
In addition to turkey and ham, recipients will get bread, butter, eggs, candy, cookies, vegetables and dried goods.
“We’ll have some fruit,” Jordan said. “We also give out sweet potatoes.”
Recently the Society of St. Andrews, located in Tifton, has been providing fresh produce to the Moultrie food bank, and Mobley Farms donated 36 cases of tomatoes, Jordan said.
The food bank is supported by United Way, but the majority of monetary support comes from individuals, churches and businesses, he said.
At the moment, Jordan said the items the food bank could use the most include canned goods, candy, cookies and peanut butter.
On Friday afternoon a 400-pound donation arrived from Mother Easter Baptist Church’s John W. Whitaker Caymon organization. William Sellers, a deacon at the church competing with a fellow deacon.
Sellers enlisted his students in the academic enhancement program at Brooks County Schools in collecting the food, which included canned goods, beans and cookies.
“This is what we’re trying to get your youth interested in, giving back to the community,” said Walta Watkins, who with Eula Bryant was helping Sellers unload the haul.
