SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS 8-17-08

It's been a tough summer.

With high prices at the gas pump, skyrocketing utility and food costs are wrecking havoc with family budgets.

Some families are cutting down car trips, keeping the thermostat a bit higher and eating out less to keep their budgets balanced.

But for the working poor, families barely managing to get by on the wages they earn, those are not viable options.

Many are being forced to apply for food stamps or seek help from local food pantries and charities just to keep their families fed.

There are currently 10,000 more families on the food stamp rolls in Bexar County than a year ago.

It is not a situation unique to our community. The number of families seeking food stamps is up across the state. Food pantries across the country also report an increase in requests for assistance.

Food pantries that provide to the needy rely on generous donations from the public, but the donations are not increasing in proportion to need.

At this time of year, just before school starts, there are many requests for donated school supplies for needy children as they head back to class. Those are much needed contributions, but the food pantries should not be forgotten.

Many of the summer food programs that provide meals for children during the summer have closed or are winding down their programs.

There are still at least two weeks before school starts for most school districts. For many children, that means they will not have enough to eat until they start back to school and can participate in the free breakfast and lunch program.

It shouldn't be that way.

During the winter holidays, giving is on the top of everyone's mind and food drives are evident everywhere.

That is truly wonderful but we, as a community, should try to maintain that generosity year-round, especially now when the need is so great.

Hunger is not seasonal.