The citizens say there are few resources available for the needy.

The food pantry at Hand Memorial United Methodist Church is stocked with canned foods ready to be handed out to the needy, but Steven Turner, a member of the church, says the demand for the goods outweighs the supply, a direct result of Pelham's poverty level.

Steven says, "The food bank here is not enough to handle the load of people coming in asking for help."

Mikeal Lovejoy can attest to the problem.

Mikeal says, "My church has a similar food pantry. From time to time people are in distress, sometimes disaster happens, people are maybe victims of burnout."

While local churches provide help for the needy, these gentleman say there's not enough aid for the needy in Mitchell County.

Turner and Lovejoy have a bigger goal in mind. They say there's about 80 churches in Mitchell County. They want all of these churches to come together to form one food bank, and they're calling it the Mitchell County Food Bank and Help Center.

Steven says, "Everybody can come to form one location; we can have all the volunteers come together to work."

Turner says a food bank is something every community should have and in his quest to make it a reality in Mitchell County, he's making a plea to the public.

Steven adds, "If you consider doing anything to help others, this will be a great way."

Right now the steering committee is looking for a location for the new food bank. The next public meeting to discuss upcoming plans is April 4 at Pelham City Hall.