SPANISH FORT, Ala. — With rising food and fuel prices, jobs being downsized and home foreclosures, there are many people who are in need of a helping hand.

As a result, the Prodisee Pantry and the Salvation Army have teamed up to provide more social services for this area to help those people in need.

“This will open the door for more services that families facing tough times needs,” Deann Servos, director of the Prodisee Pantry said. “This is a new concept with two agencies working side-by-side. This is a Baldwin County-wide program.”

A kickoff May 6 was held at the Prodisee Pantry where the two groups will provide complementary services at the same location. Twenty-four people sought aid from The Salvation Army at its first day of service through Spanish Fort United Methodist Church’s Prodisee Pantry.

“Families are living from paycheck to paycheck, and with the increased cost of gas and food, the checks are not making ends meet,” Servos said. “The face of hunger has changed.”

Servos said anyone can be affected, even those she calls the “silent hungry” — those that are too proud to ask for help.

“Summer is the crunch time,” Christina Watts, Salvation Army public relations director said. “Kids that were receiving subsidized school breakfasts and lunches do not have that option once school ends. It was a growing need, so we pursued a partnership.”

The Prodisee Pantry now serves approximately 60-75 families a week which equals approximately 300 families a month being helped, Servos said. In just our years they have served more than 9,800 families. According to Servos, more than 60,000 pounds of food were purchased from the Bay Area Food Bank last year for the Prodisee Center. And, with the economy dragging, there may be a significant increase in people who need help, she said.

Spanish Fort United Methodist Church Pastor Chip Hale said that many grandparents are now raising their grandchildren because their own children are suffering from addiction to drugs or alcohol. Since grandparents are usually on a fixed income, the need for services is great. Hale also said that many people are “retrenching” — or stepping back from their lifestyles because of debt.

“Groceries become an issue for them then,” he said. Providing food is a part of the mission of the Prodisee Center, and its name means “to benefit the world,” he said.

Maj. David Waite, Mobile/Baldwin area commander of the Salvation Army, said that his organization can help people with rent, clothing vouchers, utilities, transportation and perhaps even medications.

“This is a complement to what we do already,” Waite said.

Another plus of the teaming of the two groups is that people won’t have to drive to two different locations to get assistance, Servos said.

“It’s a great day for social services in Baldwin County to better serve the needs of the area, including financial, spiritual and economic needs,” she said.

The Salvation Army also makes referrals to La Clinica de Baldwin/Baldwin Clinic, which provides medical care for indigent families. The migrant health care program is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, and is run by director Mike Trainer.

The Prodisee Pantry is open Tuesdays from 9-11:30 a.m. and the Salvation Army will also be there from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The Prodisee Center is faith-based, and school groups will often help raise money for the center. “We can teach charity to children,” she said. “A donation of $20 could feed a family of five.”

The Prodisee Center accepts monetary donations as well as food donations. Donations can be mailed to P. O. Box 7403, Spanish Fort, AL 36577, or donations can be dropped off on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. at the Gathering Place at the Prodisee Center at 6530 Spanish Fort Blvd., Spanish Fort, AL 36527. To get more information, call 251-626-1720 or e-mail director@prodiseepantry.org.