After lugging a box of canned goods and a frozen, 10-pound turkey across the street and down the block from the Salvation Army, Linda Morris paused to catch her breath.

“I’m not used to this,” she said. “Where I’m from, when you’re poor, you’re poor. And when you’re hungry, you’re hungry. That’s just the way it is. Nobody cares.

“But Lawrence isn’t like that, I can tell,” she said, tugging on her worn coat in an attempt to fend off the morning’s chill. “This is a special place.”

Morris, 40, was one of more than 250 people — single mothers with small children, mostly — who signed up for Thanksgiving food boxes at the Salvation Army, 946 N.H.

Most of the boxes were distributed Tuesday. The remaining few will be handed out today.

“I just dreaded the thought of my 7-year-old son going to school and telling people he didn’t get to have Thanksgiving,” said Morris, who recently moved from Mountain View, Ark. She was starting a job Tuesday evening at Amarr Garage Door, 3800 Greenway Circle.

Not unique

“But with this, we’ll be OK,” she said, pointing to the box of food in the front seat of her car. “If it wasn’t for the Salvation Army, we wouldn’t have a Thanksgiving — no way, I don’t have that kind of money. Now, it’ll be a special day.”

Across Kansas, Morris’ plight is not unique. Census data show that 14 percent of the state’s children are living in households at or beneath the federal poverty guideline, which is roughly $18,000 a year for a family of four.

Volunteer Bryen Nichols moves bags of potatoes during the annual Thanksgiving food giveaway at the Bread of Life Food Pantry in Wichita. More than 1,000 low-income people were lined up when the doors opened at 9 a.m., and 8,000 were expected by the end of the day. Census figures and Wichita's plight show Douglas County isn't alone in needing to feed its poor; 14 percent of the state's children are living in households at or below the federal poverty guideline, which is roughly 8,000 a year for a family of four.

Children in Douglas County fare slightly better. Here, 13 percent live in poverty.

“That may not sound like much, but 13 or 14 percent is a lot of children and a lot of families,” said Cindy D’Ercole, senior policy analyst with the advocacy group Kansas Action for Children.

“And the data shows that poverty in the state is increasing,” D’Ercole said. “In 2000 the census found 13 percent of the children living in poverty; now it’s 14.3 percent.”

In Wichita, more than 1,000 low-income people lined up Tuesday at the Bread of Life Food Pantry for the Thanksgiving food giveaway. More than 8,000 in the area were expected to collect food through the holiday.

LINK dinner

6News video: Salvation Army lending hand to hungry families 6News video: LINK preparing for holiday feast State’s poor feel holiday hunger Food stamp benefits unclaimed in Kansas Charity LINKs Thanksgiving dinner and those in need

At the Salvation Army, the food boxes were set aside for households with children. Those without children are being encouraged to attend the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen’s annual Thanksgiving dinner from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday at First Christian Church, 1000 Ky.

“Everyone is welcome,” said Terry Connolly, one of the dinner’s coordinators. “This is for anyone who’s in need or who’s lonely or who, for whatever reason, is unable to have a family meal at home. We’re open to all.”

At last year’s event, 188 sit-down meals were served; another 250 were delivered to shut-ins.

Connolly said LINK did not anticipate needing additional food.

Richard Forney, Salvation Army director, gathers a turkey to go with a prepared box of other food items for families needing food assistance. The Salvation Army distributed food baskets for the holiday Tuesday at the Lawrence shelter.

“At this point, if people want to help, cash would be good,” she said. “LINK always needs cash.”

The Salvation Army needs money, too. Some last-minute shortfalls forced the agency Tuesday to buy three cases of margarine, 13 cases of canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce — and another 70 turkeys.

Widening gap

“We’re out about $700 to $800,” said director/pastor Rich Forney. “Unfortunately, that’s money that wasn’t set out for this in the budget.”

Last year, the Salvation Army ended up buying 50 additional turkeys.

“As you can see, the gap is widening — 50 turkeys last year, 70 this year,” Forney said. “But, still, the response has been tremendous.”

Forney said he was at a loss to explain why donations haven’t kept pace with demand.

“I don’t have any idea, but we’re seeing it in our kettle campaign as well,” he said, referring to the charity’s red kettles and bell-ringers stationed outside area grocery stores.

So far this year, the campaign has collected $10,236, he said. For the same period last year, it had collected $13,146.

‘A hard year’

“We are behind,” Forney said.

Though collections are down, demand appears to be up.

“This has been a hard year for a lot people,” said Paul Hunt, director of resources at the Ballard Community Center, 708 Elm St. “They’re working, but their family size inhibits their ability to have a lot of extras. As it is, they’re barely making ends meet.”

Hunt said the Ballard center distributed almost 80 Thanksgiving food boxes Tuesday.

“This hasn’t been a good year for us,” said Shannon McCawley, shortly after picking up a food box at the Salvation Army. “I’m divorced, I have five kids and I’m taking care of my mother — and I got laid off my telemarketing job. So now I have no income.”

She said, “If it wasn’t for this (food box), there wouldn’t be a Thanksgiving in our house.”