Volunteers are some of the special people who keep the community running when there is no one else willing or able to help.

That couldn’t be more true right here in Lawrence County.

Cleanup groups take the lead in picking up litter and beautification groups put on the extra sparkle. There are many civic clubs that fundraise for a myriad of causes.

But the people who volunteer their time to feed the hungry deserve some special recognition — and they were given that this week at an appreciation lunch at First United Methodist Church.

Harvest for the Hungry, the downtown Ironton food pantry, honored its many volunteers with lunch as a way to say thank you for the hours served helping hungry families get what they need.

According to Diane Porter, pantry manager, Harvest for the Hungry served 2,400 people in January. That’s almost five times as many as during that time last year.

That number should shock you. Just think of how many of those people we probably know in some small way. They are our neighbors, ours or our children’s friends or even our coworkers.

Feeding that many people is no small task, so if one’s looking for a way to give back to your community, consider volunteering to stock shelves or fill carts at the food pantry.

If one can’t perform the labor, consider making a food or monetary donation to the pantry, or another of one’s choice.

By the looks of the numbers, the hunger problem doesn’t seem to be getting better in Lawrence County. Volunteers are needed now more the ever.