`nutcracker' Enlivens The Holiday

Alex Wrobleski 
Dec. 17, 1994 
Alex A. Wrobleski, 73, Of North Gates Avenue, Kingston, Died Saturday In 
Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, Kingston.

By MARIA KOCHIS; Special to The Times Leader
 Wednesday, December 21, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





-- &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A woman deserted by her husband. A man whose working hours have been cut. A
father on strike. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They are among many local people who are forced to obtain food assistance
from area food banks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Local food bank representatives say although the need for food is rising,
increased donations have allowed them to keep up with community needs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A national survey released Monday shows that isn't the case everywhere. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The U.S. Conference of Mayors says emergency food centers and homeless
shelters in many cities may have to turn away many needy people because of
insufficient resources. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Year-round donations keep local families fed, food bank workers say.
Although at times the supply of food can become rather lean, it never runs out
completely. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I would say that the demand is up, but fortunately at the same time
contributions are up as well," said Eugene Brady, executive director of the
Commission on Economic Opportunity in Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The number of food baskets distributed for Thanksgiving was one recent
indicator of higher demand for donations, Brady said. CEO's food bank handed
out a little less than 3,000 in November 1993. More than 3,100 were
distributed this November. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That was offset by more donations from individuals, manufacturers and
Second Harvest, a national organization providing donated food that's
nutritionally sound but not aesthetically perfect. That includes mislabeled
food cans or improperly cut vegetables, for example. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Mountaintop Food Bank, located in St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Wright
Township, reported contributions have been very good this holiday season. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's been up tremendously this past month," said Jeanne Wells, St. Paul's
secretary. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The food bank hasn't run out of food since St. Paul's expanded it about
five years ago to include other churches and civic agencies, Wells said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "When people know we're running low, people pull together in the community
and help out,"said Laurie Morgan, one of the food bank's co-chairs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Although the majority of the Mountaintop food bank's provisions come from
donations, some of it is provided by the federal government. This November,
587 pounds of the food bank's 3,767 pounds were federally subsidized. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If the government provided more we could obviously provide people with
more, but we've been doing very well as a combination of government and
volunteers," said St. Paul's pastor, the Rev. Wayne Heintzelman. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The box of groceries the food bank supplies to a family once a month
contains enough to feed a family of four for about four days. On average, the
food bank gives out 50 boxes a month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Major William Townsend of the Salvation Army in Wilkes-Barre compared his
agency's food supply last month to the bareness of Old Mother Hubbard's
cupboard, but said the money raised from the annual kettle appeal will help
replenish its stock. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're pretty able to meet the need, but there's always a need," Townsend
said. "We never get to the point where we don't need more food." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Food Bank Supplies Holding Up The Shortages Developing In Other Areas Are Not Being Felt Here, Thanks To Generous Contributions By Local People