Salvation Army food pantry nearly empty

The Salvation Army food pantry in Lawton is in dire need of food. This is the third time in the past few months their pantry has been nearly depleted.

Becky Rajeski, a Social Services caseworker at the Salvation Army, said consistency of pantry depletion happens pretty regularly.

“We rely heavily on donations and we don’t have a regular stream of incoming food,” Rajeski said. “We have a restricted budget so when we need to buy food, we can only buy so much and the rest we rely on donations.”

According to a press release from the Salvation Army, they are experiencing a significant increase in the requests for assistance, due to the financial strain of lost income or medical expenses impacting family budgets due to rising inflation.

The release said many families are seeking help with the most basic services including food.

Rajeski said the pantry is running out of any kind of canned goods, especially peanut butter.

“Some of our staples are green beans, corn, bags of rice, peanut butter, canned chicken, boxed macaroni and cheese, canned fruits and vegetables and canned tuna,” Rajeski said.

Rajeski said the number of boxed meals change from month to month. The cooked meals given through the shelter are provided twice a day and is open to the public.

“Last month, we distributed 200 food boxes,” Rajeski said. “The month before, we distributed 129. Our average is about 150-200, somewhere in there.”

The release said in the last two months, the Salvation Army in Lawton has provided 5,070 meals, averaging 633 meals per week.

When asked what goes in the food boxes, Rajeski said they normally consist of canned soup, pasta, fresh produce, bread, tomato sauce and frozen meat.

Rajeski said the decrease of food impacts the homeless and people with low income.

“We get a lot of homeless people who get their meals here and people who are low income where our meals help them as well,” Rajeski said.

The release also said the Salvation Army encourages partnerships with churches and community organizations to hold food drives to provide food for the pantry and shelter. The Salvation Army will pick up large quantities of food. Monetary gifts are appreciated at any Lawton Salvation Army office by calling 800-SAL-ARMY and at www.salvationarmylawton.org.

Maj. Raymond Pruitt, Corps Officer of the Salvation Army, said in the release the Salvation Army is honored to meet the needs of the community.

“We need everyone’s help to provide this service,” Pruitt said in the release.