Local Companies Hope To Serve Up Successful Thanksgiving Feasts For Families

Tammie Duffy and her husband both work, but they still have trouble finding enough money to put food on the table for their three children.

"It's very strenuous. After the bills are paid, there's very little left to really do grocery shopping. It's really hard," she says.

The working poor is among a growing population of the hungry. They are off welfare, but not making enough to make ends meet. Nationwide, the demand for food at places like the Salvation Army's Love Lunch has increased 17 percent.

"It can actually take away hope. If you have a standard pain there, it's no longer joyous to be living," says Lt. Ethan Frizzell, commanding officer at the Salvation Army.

The Duffy family is getting food and help from the Salvation Army. Fifteen percent of the meals come from the Second Harvest Food Bank of southeast North Carolina.

The food bank serves 130 agencies across nine counties. In order to keep up with the demand, local companies have teamed up with the food bank for a weeklong Thanksgiving food drive. Donations of cash or non-perishable items can be dropped off at any Cumberland County Food Lion or the Manna Church on Cliffdale Road.

The food bank will help the Duffys and people like 49-year-old Sandee Chapman who has lost 85 pounds this year because she could not afford to eat.

"I'd skip eating, simply because I didn't have the food," she says.

You can also drop off your donations at the Second Harvest Food Bank on Deep Creek Road or check for one in your area. The goal in Fayetteville is to be able to provide 30,000 meals this holiday season.