SPANISH FORT, Ala.—elping Ordinary People Everyday, or HOPE, praise concert attracted more than 350 people Sunday to the Daphne Civic Center and raised more than $2,000 to help offset a spike in assistance requests as the national recession impacts the Eastern Shore.

“It was a great night of praising the Lord’s name and asking him to continue blessing us, so that we can continue to bless others in need of our help,” said Deann Servos, executive director of the community emergency food and disaster relief organization based in Spanish Fort.

Servos said the concert, headlined by Dove-award winning singer/songwriter Mark Harris, lifted spirits and heightened awareness about the growing need for the pantry’s services, but the work to be done increases every day.

With 140 families served on Tuesday, alone, Servos said May is already on pace to meet or exceed the 600 families served in each of the past two months.

“We have experienced a 500 percent increase in need from this time five years ago, and a 163 percent increase from this time last year,” said Servos, who anticipates assistance rolls could easily eclipse 800 families per month during the summer when school children are no longer privy to free- and reduced-lunch programs.

In addition to the concert’s monetary donations, Servos said the event also netted between 900 and 1,000 cans of food—based on the 30 boxes of canned goods collected at the door—but the nondenominational organization has miles to go if it expects to keep pace with increasing demand.

“That’s why the concert was such a great experience for everyone who attended because we really are in the midst of some dark days, but we’ve got to pull together and get through it,” she said.

And with a monthly need of about $12,000 to keep what isn’t donated ordered in bulk for distribution, Servos is also asking the community at large to brainstorm ideas for future fundraisers or any ideas to increase donations during an economically and spiritually challenging time for untold families touched in some way by the national recession.

“If somebody wants to be creative, we need them to call and bless us with their help because we need the community to rally behind us. It’s time for our country and our local communities to pull together—churches, businesses, neighbors—and hold hands to get us all through,” she said. “This recession is not going to end in a day, but if we pull together, we will succeed.

“It just takes every penny, every dollar and every can to keep us going.”