Besides, Vaux said, someone with no income still can’t get certain necessities.

“They have no way to get shampoo and laundry soap and toilet paper and soap. But you can get pop and candy? The state would be better off redoing it,” she suggested.

Like many social service agencies, SIEDA does not keep food on hand. But they work directly with groups like the Lord’s Cupboard — a ministerial food pantry — to help fill the gaps for those who qualify. But she tells her clients she can only refer them there in a way that gives them four visits in 12 months — those are the rules.

“They’re not mean; they just have to rely on donations. I know here lately I’ve had a lot of people call and say, ‘Does it look like I’m eligible to go?’ and I have to tell them they are not.”

Whatever the case, said Siegel, “No one in this country or this county should have to go hungry.”

In Davis County, fewer people are going without.

Davis County showed a similar increase to the one in Wapello County but with a difference — while food assistance there is 61 percent higher now than in 2000, the county maintains one of the lowest levels of people asking for help in southeast Iowa. Only 3.5 percent of Davis County residents were getting food assistance in 2000. In 2006, the number is still at a regional low of 5.7 percent.

“I don’t have a real good answer [as to why]. We just take a little bit of pride in being self sufficient,” said Davis County Supervisor Max Proctor.

With 8,600 residents, Davis County has some of the same organizations as its larger neighbor.

“We have a real active Lord’s Cupboard and that takes some of the heat off [the Assistance Programs]. And our churches are pretty good, too,” Proctor said.

Like other counties, Davis County has a fund for general assistance, which they use for one-time help for someone who is “down on their luck” and needs a utility bill paid, or some help paying rent. In some cases, Proctor said, that’s enough to allow them to get the groceries they need, and get back on their feet.

But the biggest reason for the disparity between Davis County and other southeast Iowa communities may be that there are so few strangers in Davis County: Perhaps people are closer than in a larger, city-type area, Proctor speculated.

Generally, everyone knows everyone else, he said, and many residents have lived in Davis County for generations. So while there are organizations to help a stranger in need, people are also quick to help the neighbors they grew up with their entire lives.

“Families try to help families — people know each other here,” Proctor said. “We just take care of our own.”

Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.