Elkhart Truth
March 11, 2009

ELKHART, Ind. - In this job-starved city where President Barack Obama last month made a public appeal for his economic stimulus plan, hundreds of volunteers — and an agency that specializes in handing out food — worked together Tuesday to feed 5,200 hungry families.

Roughly 300 local volunteers worked with Feed the Children to distribute more than $2.1 million worth of food at Concord Mall as part of the nonprofit relief organization’s “Feeding Americans Emergency Caravan.”

The caravan of semi-trailers is visiting small cities and towns across America hit hard by the economic crisis. No area in Indiana has been hit harder than Elkhart County, where the jobless rate skyrocketed to 18.3 percent in January.

Residents who have been facing tough times eagerly picked up free canned goods, baked goods, candy and even Avon products.

Larry Jones, the founder and president of Feed the Children, was at the event, as were televangelist Joel Osteen, pastor at Lakewood Church in Houston, and his wife, Victoria.