That’s not really a choice for most people, said Runnells — they have to work. They buy their gas — and the Lord’s Cupboard gets busy.

“Incredibly. How often did we have to run to buy bread at 2:30 in the afternoon [last year] when we close at 3 p.m.,” said Knouf.

Last year, a total 4,075 people received enough food to last them one week from the organization.

“This year, it was 5,800 at the end of October,” said Knouf.

A few older people are starting to come in, she said, which was rare last year.

Seniors can be too proud to ask for help paying for food or medicine, added Runnells, because their generation put such a high value on self-reliance. Some of the older people refuse to apply for energy assistance, too, she said.

“They feel someone else needs it more,” Runnells said. “Judy tells the story of a woman who called hoping to find a new home for her bird. It was so cold in her [home] that she feared it would freeze.”

But the woman would not request energy assistance.

But No. 1 is trying to stay warm. It can be, agreed Runnells, a matter of life or death.

Her agency has already given away 600 winter coats, and expects to give away more.

“We all live on a fixed income, even if we have a job,” said Pennington. “When prices go up, we aren’t getting raises. Lower-middle class and middle-class people, even, are struggling.”

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