Salvation Army Food Programs Come Under Strain, Study Finds

Salvation Army food programs across the country face trouble keeping up with demand as hunger grows and donations dwindle, according to the Associated Press. Nationwide, donations dropped by 8 percent last year, the news service says.

All but two of 31 local chapters surveyed reported a rise in demand for food last year compared with 2009. Two-thirds of the regional groups said fund raising declined or was stagnant in 2010.

Food demand doubled in Chicago, and the Twin Cities Salvation Army had to eliminate a program to supply elderly people with prepared meals.

“This has been the most intense three-year period that I’ve witnessed,” said Major George Hood, a Salvation Army spokesman and a 40-year veteran of the country’s second-largest charity.