By Dariush Shafa

Mar. 30, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) --
The parking spaces are almost all full at the Help Office of Owensboro on West Fourth Street, but the shelves are nearly empty.

As the national economy slows, the situation worsens for those in need in Owensboro.

Local agencies such as the Help Office and The Salvation Army are seeing an increase in the number of people coming to them for assistance. But these agencies, which can help people with utility bills and food costs, are now faced with the possibility of being unable to help the less fortunate.

Despite the dismal outlook, administrators at the agencies say they're doing their best to keep their heads up.

"We're going to be taken care of. When we do feel a crunch, we fret about it, but God is going to send us help so that we can help these people," said Capt. Jennifer Farris at The Salvation Army office in Owensboro.

Sharon Sharp, executive director of the Help Office, said she and her staff members will continue to refer people to other agencies that might be able to help them and will keep giving people supplies, but shelves are nearly empty.

"You ought to see our pantry shelves. We need everything," Sharp said. "Usually our normal range of feeding is about 100 to 130 orders per month, and we will go possibly close to 300 or over this month. That's how bad it is."

The Help Office is currently unable to help people with bills, however.

"We are out of money right now. We have no emergency funds at this point. The last two months, we have run over our budgets," Sharp said. "I really do not know how the agencies are going to keep up with this, and we're talking about the basics."

The ranks of those in need are also expanding. Farris said she's seen more people coming to The Salvation Army for help, and Sharp said the people at the Help Office now include more of a demographic she's not used to seeing.

"We're also seeing older people, which we've never seen before," Sharp said. "I've never seen the like of this, and when they come to you they're at their wits end. That's the only time they come. These are the type of people who have a certain pride factor that will not let them."

Sharp said that without community assistance, the agencies are simply unable to take care of those in need.

"It's desperate," Sharp said. "There are people in our community who literally don't have the money to bathe, they don't have the money to eat. Now the older people have to decide 'Am I going to pay for my (prescription) drugs, or am I going to eat?' "

Those who may not be in a position to help financially can still make a difference by volunteering their time, Sharp said.

"(We need) some volunteers," Sharp said.

For now, Sharp said the only choice is to refer people to churches.

"We'll go to the churches and say 'Can you help us?' " Sharp said. "I can plead until I am blue in the face, but until someone from the churches comes into the Help Office and sees this, they will not know. We are seeing this daily, and it is an onslaught."

Farris said The Salvation Army is currently still able to help people, but that may not last.

"Right now, it hasn't hit us hard yet. We're still able to help quite a few people," she said. "I may be eating my words next week. You never can tell."

Whatever help the community can give, Farris said, it's definitely needed.

"We're here to help, not embarrass anyone or hurt anyone, and give them a hand up, not a handout," Farris said. "We still need the community support. We're still here for those who need us, but those who have an abundance, we still need their support."

To Help

For more information on how to support those in need in Owensboro, call the Help Office of Owensboro at 685-4971 (messages are checked daily) or The Salvation Army at 685-5576.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0152-24120103