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MARQUETTE -- Monday kicked off the 2010 TV6 Canathon.  It's an effort by us to get you to donate canned goods and dry food items to help feed a hungry neighbor.

The items collected stay in your area and put food on the table of those in need.

This year, several U.P. food pantries are experiencing record numbers of families requesting assistance.  In some cases, those who donated in the past are now in need of help themselves.

It all started with one can, and 28 years later, the TV6 Canathon has brought in more than 2.5 million pounds of food for U.P. residents.  The troubling economy brings a new challenge.  It doesn't discriminate.

"It's not just the low-income people, it's the middle income people and higher income people who also are in need," says Ramona Arthur, Marquette Salvation Army Captain. 

"A lot of people who actually maybe have donated in the past actually find themselves in need," says TV6 Canathon Director Scott Zerbel.  "So the need is still out there.  It's kind of a little bit more than normal this year."

The Marquette Salvation Army says the number of people who have requested assistance continues to rise each month.  They served 400 families just in the month of October.

About 600 families come each month to the Marquette St. Vincent DePaul pantry.  Now they're expecting those numbers to go up due to the extra strain of winter utility bills on families' budgets.

Both pantries say the TV6 Canathon keeps their shelves stocked for about three or four months, a big help in a time when every little bit counts.

"Even just, you know, if you do it one time, you're making a difference.  That's the main goal," says Joel Arthur, Marquette Salvation Army Captain.

The TV6 Canathon runs through December 2.