With the holidays approaching and a shaky economy, the Lincoln County Food Pantry is asking the community for help in feeding the hungry of the county.

The pantry is particularly in need of canned and frozen meet and canned vegetables such as tuna, salmon, Vienna sausage, corn, green beans, peas, beets, and carrots.

There is also a need for items such as grits, flour, meal, stuffing mix, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, cereal, saltine crackers, paper products, and so forth.

A collection site has been set up at Bell's Food Market.

Monetary donations, which are tax deductible, will also be greatly appreciated. The checks may be mailed to the Lincoln County Food Pantry at P.O. Box 473, Lincolnton, Georgia, 30817.

In fact, financial gifts actually go further because the food pantry staff can purchase the same amount of food with less money from agencies such as the Golden Harvest Food Bank in Augusta.

Each month for the past year, the food pantry has served an average of:

.. 140 families.

.. 293 individuals.

.. 71 children, 18 years of age and younger.

.. 68 adults, age 60 and over.

.. 4,794 pounds of food.

Staffed by volunteers, the food pantry is open every Thursday from 9 a.m. until 12 noon. It is located at 1066 Firetower Road.