Lines grow long at North Charleston soup kitchen

With a shaky economy and unemployment numbers reaching record highs, long lines are becoming the norm at Tricounty Family Ministries in North Charleston.

But, the line outside the building Monday, for Thanksgiving Dinner, tells a new tale of need in the Lowcountry.

One man in the line, that was hundreds-deep, said this is easily the longest line he has seen while waiting for assistance.

Another North Charleston man near the end of line wondered if there would be enough food for him when he made it to the front.

The number of people needing help has risen while donation have dropped off sharply. It’s a trend across the Lowcountry.

Even with News 2’s annual Toys for Tots campaign, there has been only one donation to the WCBD-TV studios. Employees say they usually see a large number of donations by this point in the year.

Charity organizers from several organizations say more individual donors are forced to keep money for themselves and businesses who usually donate are struggling to stay afloat in a rough economy.