Are food pantries overwhelmed where you live?

As someone who sits in a comfy chair blogging about saving and investing, I tend to lose sight of how fortunate I really am. While inflated energy and housing costs have impacted everyone, it has been particularly hard for low-income families to make ends meet:

High fuel prices this year have hurt many low-wage earners by forcing them to choose between heating their homes or buying food.

We try to do our part by making an annual donation to an area food share, sending in some groceries to food drives at the schools our children attend, and by dropping off a few items in the donation baskets at our local Shaw's Supermarket.

So why not help out someone less fortunate by spending a few bucks on some canned vegetables, cranberry sauce, or Stove Top stuffing and donating them to a local food drive? And while you're at it, don't forget to maximize the bang for your buck by doing some aggressive grocery shopping.