Georgia Nonprofit Stops Food Distribution

Chalk up another nonprofit that has fallen victim to the down economy.  According to WSBTV.com, the Georgia nonprofit Angel Food Ministries will be laying off its full-time staff, forcing it to halt its food distribution services for the month of September.  The move will not only impact the lives of the staff let go, but also the thousands of Atlanta residents who rely on their services everyday.  This is the first time in 17 years the organization had to do halt its services.  Here is part of the statement they posted on their website:

Like the thousands of businesses in America that have endured one of the worst recessions in the past 100 years, we too have faced operational and financial challenges. We have every intention to continue offering great food at great prices in the coming months and are considering ways to reorganize or restructure our Ministry.

It appears that food distribution services will continue in the months ahead but for now, people who relied on their services are going to have to look for other sources.  The article states that the Elizabeth Baptist Church, which distributes the food boxes from Angel Food Ministries, is going to try and pay for them on its own through donations.  If this is successful, it will provide relief until the regular food service is restored. 

Want to read the full article on this story?  Head on over to WSBTV.

Americans Still Battling Recession-Imposed Hunger

Though there are signs that the recession is gradually becoming a thing of the past, millions of people in America are still going hungry. This informative video by Nonprofit Times focuses on this situation. A staggering ninety four percent of all Salvation Army food programs saw requests for food increase in 2010. Well over sixty percent of all these programs experienced an increase in demand of fifteen percent or more. The problem is that sixty percent of all Salvation Army programs have not received the necessary increase in funding to cope with the elevated flood of requests. In fact, many programs have had to deal with decreases in funding across all channels...public, private and governmental.

Some positive news
In a survey conducted not too long ago, as many as fifty five percent of respondents mentioned that their shelves were only half full or less. On a more positive note however, the Salvation Army has reported that thirty six percent of its programs have experienced higher funding levels, and twenty three percent of all programs benefited from higher levels of volunteerism. These kinds of positive figures reveal that the recession has not broken the spirit of American generosity.