Cache Community Food Pantry asks for help supplying thousands of dinners

LOGAN — Economic hard times are being blamed for some of the struggles at the Cache Community Food Pantry. It's in a last-minute push to get Thanksgiving turkeys for about 1,000 families.

Pantry director Matt Whitaker says he knows when donations typically drop off and when demand for help rises. Often, it's heading into the holiday season.

"Not much is donated over the summer months, so we find ourselves a little low," Whitaker said. "And we've never seen it this low going into the holidays before."

Whitaker says not only are donations low, but the demand for help is higher than he's ever seen during his 22 years with the organization.

"I think we can attribute that to the economy," he explained. "We've got gas, food, and rent all pretty high, and wages have not increased to match that."

As a result, Whitaker says the pantry is falling short of its goal to help about 1,000 Cache Valley families have a Thanksgiving meal. It's currently short about 80 turkeys. On top of that, it will have to start the push all over again in a week, as it works to supply another 1,000 Christmas dinners.

"We're putting out an appeal to the community to see if they can help us match that demand," Whitaker said. "We're doing what we can to get the public aware so that they can maybe dig a little bit deeper this year and help us match that."

It may mean that some people will have to donate more, or may require new donors to step to the plate. Either way, Whitaker says he's confident the community will make it happen.

"The community here is wonderful," Whitaker said. "We can do it. We've done it before."

Those interested in donating* can go to cachefood.org/donate.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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