Lean Times Salvation Army, Expecting A Plump Number Of Requests, Has 1,500 Baskets Needing Turkeys

Shuffling through the hourlong line to get a free Thanksgiving food basket Monday, EmmieJo Baker whispered to her 1-year-old son about the days when Mom and Dad didn’t have to resort to handouts.

“If Thanksgiving came at the beginning of the month, it would be a lot easier,” said Baker, 36. “But there is no way I can come up with an extra 20 or 30 bucks at the end of the month to buy a turkey and all the fixings.”

The Bakers - a family of five - are among the working poor who are increasingly asking Spokane charities for help.

They are among the 2,500 families expected to turn to the Salvation Army for a turkey and trimmings this year. The average food basket is worth $35, including the turkey.

Several other organizations also are giving away food baskets.

In order to prevent double-dipping, the Salvation Army tracks recipients with computers and turns away families who already have received food elsewhere.

Every year the Salvation Army prepares for a 4 percent increase in demand for turkey dinners. This year the charity is planning on a 10 percent increase, due to growing numbers of families like the Bakers, said Joy McManus, the charity’s social services coordinator.

Although both EmmieJo Baker and her husband work, their wages are low and neither has benefits. Even with food stamps, making ends meet every month is nearly impossible.

“No matter how many corners you cut, something comes up, fees for sports, the cars break down, unexpected bills,” Baker said. “We are doing good to stay off welfare. And this is a temporary situation for us. One of us is bound to get a good job soon. We have in the past.”

The working poor account for an increasing number of people turning to charities for help, McManus said. “A lot of people assume everybody here is a welfare recipient, but that’s not true,” she said.

Even for the people who do get welfare, preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner would be difficult on food stamps and the monthly government allotment.

Wendy McLean, 31, said she would feed her four children sandwiches for Thanksgiving if it weren’t for the free food basket. Her boyfriend was laid off last month from his job as a landscaper.

“We’re running out of food already,” she said.

Many parents waiting in line Monday for a food basket talked about the importance of preserving traditions.

“It’s an important time for family bonding,” said a 30-year-old mother of four. “I would find some way to do a Thanksgiving dinner, even if we had to tap into our student loans.”

The woman said she would be embarrassed to have her name published. The Salvation Army has tried to make the process as dignified as possible, McManus said.

This year the organization rented a 30,000-square-foot warehouse, so the line can form inside. In the past, warehouses as small as 5,000 square feet have been used.

“We consider ourselves lower-class,” the mother of four said. “We have been self-sufficient before, so we have a lot of things in our house from that period in our lives. You wouldn’t think we were poor by looking at us.”

With four children to support and her husband two years from graduation from Washington State University’s architecture program, the mother said someday she hoped she would be middle-class.

“And when that happens, I will never forget what this feels like,” she said, as the line inched forward. “It’s a lot easier to be a giver than it is to accept charity like this.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FREE TURKEYS The Salvation Army is short 1,500 turkeys. Charity officials expect more than 2,500 families to request free Thanksgiving food baskets this year. While they have enough trimmings, so far there are only 1,000 birds to hand out. Anyone interested in donating a frozen turkey can drop them off at the following locations: Albertsons at Sprague and Pines. Safeway at 29th and Southeast Boulevard. Salvation Army headquarters, 222 E. Indiana. The northwest corner of the distribution warehouse, 1120 W. Francis. The Salvation Army will accept turkey donations between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. Baskets will be handed out at the distribution warehouse from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Wednesday. Spokane County residents needing help should bring a picture identification, address verification and identification for every member in the household.