Turkey Drive to help River Valley Regional Food Bank with increased holiday demand

The River Valley Regional Food Bank in Fort Smith is relying on community support and the annual 40/29 and Arkansas CW Turkey Drive to help meet rising food demand during the holiday season.

The food bank’s director, Hattie Hamilton, said the 48,000-square-foot warehouse could be emptied in about a month without community contributions. The facility supplies food to 150 pantries across eight counties, which then distribute it to those in need.

"People are hungry every day, and you can't tell if they're hungry or not. It could be the person standing next to you and they're hungry. There's not a sign on them that says, hey, I'm hungry. Most people keep that to themselves," Hamilton said.

Last year, Hamilton said the food bank’s staff of 10 distributed more than 19 million pounds of food, and the demand continues to grow.

"Cost of food goes up, cost of utilities go up, the price of gasoline goes up, but everyone still makes the same wage. So you have to decide what's the most important thing to buy that week," Hamilton sa...