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Those struggling this holiday season will get a little relief today at the Christian Life Center in Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City Mission and the Utah Food Bank estimate they will serve more than 2,000 turkey dinners there today.
Volunteers began showing up there at about 6 a.m. to finish preparing the food. Organizers say they have enough volunteers for today, but will need more for the Christmas season.
The food bank says with the current economy, an increasing number of families are seeking assistance. In Utah, 360,000 people don't get enough to eat or skip meals because they lack the resources.
Both the Arc of Utah and the Utah Food Bank have seen an increase in the number of families seeking assistance this year.
Joyce Whalen, a volunteer with the Arc of Utah, said, "Last year, for example, we helped 500 people with the gift box program. This year, we expect only about 200 people we can support."
According to the USDA, Utah is 14th overall in food "insecurity" and fourth nationwide in the percentage of people experiencing "very low" food security.
For homeless teenagers on the street, like Regina Simmons, finding food is an everyday stress. She said, "Some days I feel helpless, not knowing what I'm going to do. When you're by yourself on the street it's really hard."
Food will be served at 1051 N. Redwood Rd. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Several other charities across the state will be doing the same thing.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
