Poverty takes a toll on community

Feb 18, 2010

Shawn Shinneman, TruLife - Truman University

Each month, the LOVE I.N.C. food pantry at Kirksville's Church of the Nazarene hosts a large food distribution at 5 p.m. on a Friday. But hours before the doors open, hungry Kirksville residents show up to take their spots in line. The first of these residents arrive before 9 a.m., and by noon, there are about 100 people waiting in the cold.

In all, more than 250 needy families will come to get their share of food. The distribution, started one year ago, shows the effects of a recession that has pushed nearly one in four Adair County residents below the poverty line.

Maj. William Hogg has served as a Salvation Army officer in six different cities but said he has never before faced the severe food demand he sees in Kirksville.

"Having lived in many different places and different economic situations, I would have to say Kirksville is probably the poorest I've ever lived in," Hogg said.

The Central Missouri Food Bank, which supplies the vast majority of the food distributed in Adair County, contributed nearly 785,000 pounds of food last year to Adair County distribution centers - up from less than 480,000 pounds in 2008.

Steve Youngblood, community developer of the Northeast region for the Central Missouri Food Bank, said he has seen the increased dependence on social service agencies since the recession. He said other members of the community are often unaware of the struggles the impoverished face daily.

"You can't fix what you can't see, and hunger is a hidden problem," Youngblood said. "If you have cancer or your house burns down or you have a natural disaster, everybody knows about it, and everybody feels sorry for you. Everybody wants to help. But if you can't feed your kids, you don't go out and tell people. You're ashamed."

In Adair County, nearly 45 percent of kids in grades K-12 are receiving free or reduced-price lunches, according to the Missouri Department of Education. Youngblood said he thinks the number is higher within the lower grades.

"Imagine if you're a new married couple, or you're recently divorced," Youngblood said. "You've got a couple of kids, you get started out, and you aren't really established in your career. Most of the people we serve don't have college degrees."

Unemployment rate remains low

While surrounding counties have seen their unemployment rates soar well into the double digits, Adair County's rate sits at just 6 percent as of December, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

Kirksville resident Don Kangus, a former Truman professor of Biology who helped found the Food Depot in Kirksville, said the rates can be misleading. He said he has witnessed people in Kirksville who have been unable to acquire or maintain a job and have given up.

"The unemployment rate measures people who recently lost their jobs and are looking for work," Kangus said. "There's another bunch of people not even looking."

Persons are classified as unemployed if they do not have a job, have actively looked for work in the past four weeks and are currently available for work, according to the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Youngblood said the economy has affected hiring and drastically increased unemployment.

"That's the biggest issue [in Northeast Missouri], the unemployment numbers are through the roof," Youngblood said. "People who were working last year aren't working this year and haven't been for a number of months."

A lack of shelter

Despite the spike in need during the past two years, Adair County's social service agencies continue to function without the help of a homeless shelter.

Kangus said he gets phone calls nearly every day from impoverished people who have nowhere to stay. He said some of them are just passing through Kirksville looking for somewhere to sleep, but others are permanent residents.

Kangus said he does his best to meet each request with a stay at a local motel, working with local agencies if he doesn't have the money himself.

While Kangus' generosity continues to put those in need into temporary, heated dwellings, Youngblood said Kirksville is suffering without a shelter. He said the frequency with which people request places to stay exposes the demand for a shelter.

"It may be temporary or transitional, but it's happening," Youngblood said. "Wouldn't it be better to have a shelter for those guys than to just keep putting them up in hotels? ... I could always get them one or two nights at a hotel, but sometimes it takes more time than that to get your life back on track."

Looking forward

To this day, Youngblood said the three food banks in town have managed to provide for the needs of the impoverished community without turning away anyone who needs help. But Youngblood said it is not impossible that the demand for food would become greater than the resources food banks have to offer.

"We're doing our best that that does not happen," he said. "That's our job, it's what we are here for."

Youngblood said they are trusting that people in the community will show support for their neighbors. He said community involvement is becoming increasingly important.

"I started in this before the economy went south, and the increase of poverty since the [recession] has been dramatic," Youngblood said. "Until we see the rebound in the economy, I think we've got to be very, very mindful that we are our brother's keeper. We've got neighbor taking care of neighbor."

Many local churches have programs in place that turn cash donations into help with rent, utilities and food for the poor. In addition, the LOVE I.N.C. and Salvation Army food banks have a constant need for volunteers to help distribute food and unload trucks, among other tasks.

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