FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Fond du Lac Salvation Army is busier than ever this year. The organization served a record of 800 free lunch bags in one day.
Heather Bunker takes her family to the building almost every week, and tells WLUK….
“When I was younger, me my brother and my dad were struggling pretty bad. So we use to come and get the lunches because, well my dad was in a wheelchair for a while, so me and my brother would come here and get lunches.”
When the program started, volunteers handed out 200 bags.
Now, program coordinator, Barbara Thill, says that number is closer to 800 bags every Tuesday and Thursday.
Thill also suspects students being out of school is another reason for the increase in demand.
Fond du Lac Salvation Army director of social services, Ron Jacobson, says the organization is seeing a significant increase of families coming to the food pantry also.
“During a typical month, we usually have 900-950 families, but over the past few weeks, we’ll see a push to maybe 1,100 or 1,150 families this month.”
Jacobson said to help spread the resources further, families can only use the pantry once a month.
Fond du Lac Foundation director of development, Joe Braun, says…. “I think there’s a growing trend everywhere, there are people in need and some of the economics that’s going on.”
Although the non-profit doesn’t know what’s causing the longer lines, they don’t expect it to reverse.
