Pictures of Hunger in Twin Falls

This is hunger.  Cars stretching all the way back to Washington Street.  And they were coming as well from other directions.  And waiting.  Waiting for a couple dozen pounds of groceries.  This is hunger in Twin Falls, more than 90 days into a national emergency.  Six months from now it could be worse. 

The Mustard Seed working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided emergency groceries on a first come first serve basis.  The program was scheduled to open at 10 o’clock Saturday morning.  The first car arrived at 6:45 A.M.  The plan was to keep the line moving until 2:00 P.M.  Twin Falls County Commissioner Brent Reinke surveyed the scene and wasn’t sure the boxed groceries would last until noon.

Those of us who are working simply can’t understand.  My freezer and kitchen cabinet are full.  I even buy canned food for neighborhood stray cats at work.

Driving west on Addison Avenue I was shocked to see traffic at a standstill in the right-hand lane even before I reached United Oil.

There were people of various ethnicities and all age groups waiting for an opportunity to take a box home.  The economic meltdown is an equal opportunity force.

As an aside, we often criticize people in local government but many participated today in loading boxes in trunks and into trucks.  I saw familiar faces from City Hall and County West, which was the location set aside for pickup.  They did this on a warm summer Saturday, when they could’ve been at poolside or on a boat or at a cabin in the mountains.  They weren’t doing it for recognition.  Most were wearing masks and I didn’t recognize them until I heard their voices.

Come Christmas, if things are the same or worse, what will we do?