A recent article in The Times brought attention to the heavy demand by local residents for food from Cullman Caring for Kids’ food bank.

Summer months have brought a steady flow of families in need of assistance to the non-profit agency’s food bank. The growing clientele is grandparents who have been left to raise their grandchildren. That is difficult for many of the grandparents, who are on fixed incomes and did not expect to be raising children again.

Plenty of single parents, mostly young women, use the service as well.

Learning of this situation, the Red Door Cafe swung into action and sponsored a pancake breakfast a week ago to help Cullman Caring for Kids add more stock to its shelves. Residents turned out in great numbers for the breakfast and money was raised to purchase thousands of pounds of food.

Other contributors are also coming forward.

Cullman Caring for Kids Director Javon Daniel said he is always humbled by the response and concern of local residents for their neighbors who are suffering hardships. That community character was strong last week for the fundraiser.

Cullman County has many agencies that work daily to help improve the lives of those in need of assistance.

Whether it’s Cullman Caring for Kids, Brook’s Place or many others, the staffs of these organizations are local people looking out for others in our community. They need support throughout the year in order to meet the demand.

The workers at these agencies come face-to-face with many of the difficulties that trouble families in the area. In many ways, they are the front-line of giving assistance and encouragement to those who are in need.

We hope the community, whether it is businesses or individuals and church congregations, will continue to give consistent support to those who are delivering vital services. Some clients may only use the food bank a few times until their financial issues are resolved; others need it for longer periods of time. But there are always new faces coming through the door.

As Daniel noted recently, the need for food never goes away. Taking care of that need is essential to restoring the fortunes and spirits of those who have come to hard times.