The lines form early at the Love In Action Outreach in New Orleans East. Two hundred or so bags of emergency food supplies were waiting for those who need help to feed their families, and the director says the sagging economy is forcing more to come here for help.

"October and November, so far the numbers have doubled,” said the Outreach’s Gail Womack-Murray.  “We would do one week in a month, which was about 500-550, now we're doing almost 200 a day.

The Outreach depends on the food supplies delivered by the Second Harvest Warehouse,  and the head of that agency says many member food banks are seeing a spike in requests. At the Outreach some are emergencies that have to be met, even after hours.

"We're getting a lot of referrals where people just don't have any food,” said Murray.

At the Covington Food Bank, they helped 640 families in September, including 100 who had never been here before, in October, one in ten of the 750 families helped were first-time recipients. There are so many needs they are afraid their supplies will be exhausted.

"The day they come to register I give them food, but I have to tell them don't come back until after the first of the year. We just don't have enough food on hand right now,” said Covington Food Bank Executive Director Jackie Catalanotto.

Eddie Bouchard, who used tio live in Pearlington, Mississippi has become a regular visitor, saying he's disabled.

 "Got wiped out in Hurricane Katrina, we're living over in Lacombe now,” said Bouchard. “It helps, quite a bit, because you don't get a lot of work nowadays."

With Thanksgiving approaching, they are very worried here at the Covington Food Bank, trying to collect enough donations to feed the families they know will need help. The problem is, the number of families that need help is growing every day.

 "Based on what we did last year,” Catalanotto said,  “I figured if we could give 400 turkeys, we could make it. But its going to be closed to 6-700."

For people like Eddie, help like this is absolutely essential.

"Pretty much if it wasn't for them, I'd be going real hungry,” Bouchard concluded.

The Covington Food Bank is seeking donations and volunteers. For more information, call 1-985-893-3003.