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Severe Food Shortage at West Texas Food Bank
Severe Food Shortage at West Texas Food Bank 9/6/12
schilders@cbs7.com
CBS 7 News
September 6, 2012
ODESSA, TX – The West Texas Food Bank is facing a severe food shortage with empty shelves and absolutely no meat to hand out.
Inside the pantry of the food bank it's easier to list what they do have than what they don’t.
"We've got cookies, we've got popcorn," said Earl Graham with the West Texas Food Bank.
The empty shelves will instantly impact the thousands of low-income families and clients across West Texas.
"We just have a lot of people that we can't feed, that will have to go hungry. Where you would get can goods and stuff, when they go to the agencies we supply they may just get granola bars."
Granola bars are something they do have, sitting next to boxes of strawberry flavored marshmallows and pallets of enchilada sauce.
"It'll fill them up but it won't be too nutritious right now."
The food bank runs on a very small budget, and most of it is spent on transportation. So Graham explains their organization takes a toll and the shelves go empty when their donations drop.
"Seems to be that way every summer, people just don't donate and the avenues that I have to secure food, it takes a lot of money and we just don't have it right now."
And inside their cooler the scene speaks volumes; 12 gallons of milk set to expire today and a few boxes of eggs donated from a local store.
"It's very expensive to keep this thing running and of course that's money that we have to pay because we have to have it, and it's a shame that it's not filled up."
The West Texas Food Bank relies on donations. $1 dollar can provide four meals for families in need.
To help the food bank with donations or services, you can call them at (432) 580-NEED (6333).