By Kirk Kern
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 
But for those in need of food assistance in Mesquite, it can be the most scarce meal of the day.
Bill Ennis, director of the Salvation Army in Mesquite, recently reached out to some of the local organizations around town stating the need for breakfast foods for its pantry.
The noon Rotary Club came to its assistance, buying $500 worth of breakfast foods from the local Smith’s to help stock the shelves with cereal and other food items. The $500 purchased 356 pounds of food.
“Breakfast foods are almost like a commodity,” Ennis said. “We go through breakfast items really fast. Our shelves constantly need to be restocked.”
Rotarian Norman Utley heard about this need and went to his club to ask for help. He said the club, along with current president Jake Noll, didn’t hesitate to approve the purchase. Utley said the club constantly goes through fund-raising campaigns so there is money in the account for such needs.
Utley went to the local Smith’s with credit card in hand and made the purchase. He said the timing was good because the store had a sale on cereal and other breakfast foods, so the money went a long way.
“They’re really in a tough spot right now,” Utley said. “They’re in a huge need.”
Ennis said the Salvation Army has seen a big increase in those seeking food assistance in the past year. He said at this time last year, they were helping about 300 families a month. That number has gone up to more than 1,000 a month this year.
“With the way the economy is right now, people are really struggling,” Ennis said. “For many, it’s a case of keeping a roof over their head or feeding the family. We try to help out as much as we can.”
The Salvation Army gets regular food supplies, but sometimes it’s not enough to supply all those in need in Mesquite. Fortunately, there are organizations like the Rotary and other local residents who always seem to help out.
Ennis said at this time, the preferred donation is actually food items to help stock the pantry rather than just monetary donations (although anything helps). He said food donations at this time can go a lot further than just cash, since he’s not able to get quite the discount on food that he has been able to get in the past.
“Right now, it’s often less expensive for people to buy groceries and donate rather than just give money,” Ennis said. “They can get it cheaper than I can.”
Ennis said it’s easy to donate non-perishable food or anything else to the Salvation Army. Just go make the purchase and drop it off at the office, located at 742 Pioneer Boulevard. Ennis said all donations are tax deductible.
Those interested can call the Mesquite Salvation Army at 702-345-5116.
