National group, local volunteers focus help on Elkhart County

By ED ERNSTES WSBT-TV Reporter

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Volunteers unload food from the Feed the Children organization on Tuesday for distribution to families in need throughout Elkhart County. WSBT-TV Photo

By WSBT 24/7 News

Story Created: Mar 10, 2009 at 3:30 PM EST

Story Updated: Mar 12, 2009 at 11:36 AM EST

ELKHART COUNTY — While they spend much of their time helping people overseas, an outreach group focused its efforts on our own area Tuesday. Feed the Children sent a convoy of trucks to Elkhart County to help put food on the tables of the unemployed.

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Feed the Children's Larry Jones, along with Granger Community Church and hundreds of volunteers made some special deliveries from more than a dozen trucks packed with food to help feed thousands of local families.

“We realize the problem they're having from the standpoint of so many RV companies shutting down — and the companies that supply them,” said Jones.

“We decided to come and help 5,000 families. We know that we're putting a Band Aid on a cancer but today, No. 1, these people know they're not forgotten,” Jones said.

The trucks traveled to a number of locations throughout Elkhart and LaGrange counties and stopped at a number of churches, social service agencies, and food pantries. One stopped at the Wakarusa Missionary Church.

“We have been hard hit here in Wakarusa with the different plants closing and have seen a lot of need for food — for help in different ways,” said Pastor Paul Commons of Wakarusa Missionary Church. “This is awesome.”

Jones, acknowledging the saying "tough times are ahead," said, "Therefore it's time to stand up and help our neighbors.”

A number of other agencies pitched in to help with the special deliveries in Elkhart County, including local UPS drivers, truck drivers from around the country, and Martin’s SuperMarket stores, who helped provide six refrigeration trucks for frozen foods.

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