Community organization feeding those in need looks to expand

North Little Rock, Arkansas – Arkansas Community Advocates are looking to expand their ‘Meals on the Move’ program after they’ve seen a jump in the need for food. “People were having trouble getting groceries before the gas prices went up, even before the pandemic,” said ACA volunteer Paul Bailey. “It’s worse now and it’s getting worse every day.”

Prices are going up at the grocery store. “I just feel like everybody’s kind of struggling right now,” said Bailey.

ACA feeds the homeless in the Metro area, every Tuesday. According to Bailey, typically there are leftovers. This week though, the team came up short. “We ran short almost 20 and had to run down to Rally’s and had to buy 20 cheeseburgers,” said Bailey.

According to Bailey, the amount of people seeking food is going up. He says it’s a direct correlation with prices down aisles. “We’re all just a few paychecks away from being out there with the unhoused people ourselves,” said Bailey.

It’s time for people to step up and help those in need, Bailey said. “We can’t wait for the government or whoever you think is going to fix this, we just all need to ban together and fix it ourselves,” said Bailey.

In order to meet a growing need, Arkansas Community Advocates is looking to expand its programs.

To look for volunteer opportunities go to ArkansasCommunityAdvocates.gov.