SHERMAN, Texas -- As the holiday season approaches, Texoma-area food banks are running dangerously low on supplies due to recent disasters and other economic pressures.

KTEN's Feeding Families Food Drive will help restock the shelves with canned and non-perishable food items.

Starting November 27, the Feeding Families Food Drive will have collection sites at almost 30 locations in north Texas and southern Oklahoma. 

The food will then be distributed to area food banks, including the Salvation Army of Grayson County; Hands of Hope in Durant (which serves families in Bryan, Marshall, Johnston, Atoka and Coal counties); and the Food and Resource Center in Ardmore (which serves Carter, Johnston, Love and Murray counties).

Last year, the Salvation Army provided 2,500 households with food assistance in Grayson County. The agency desperately needs to restock to meet the expected demand during the upcoming holiday season.

"It's kind sad to see the shelves so empty," volunteer Barbara Fricke said.

She packs the sacks to give to each family, and has seen first-hand how needy some are.

"I  just sent out 10 sacks of groceries... one lady is raising nine of her grandchildren," Fricke said.

Salvation Army Major Tex Ellis said holiday trends and celebrations naturally mean more food, but said they are currently running low on dried goods like as rice and beans, peanut butter, soups, and turkeys.

"Many different aspects come into play, but for the Salvation Army, this is such a special time of year because it means so much to families," he said. "We would like to be able to help immediately and where we're needed most."

And with the help of the community and efforts like the KTEN Feeding Families Food Drive, the Salvation Army is hoping that they can meet these needs and give families a happy holiday season. 

"We would like to see as many people as we can donate to the Salvation Army," Ellis said.

KTEN's food drive starts November 27 and runs through December 15.

Please consider making a generous contribution. We'll share information about donation locations as the launch date approaches.