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MARQUETTE -- They're there when people need them the most--the Salvation Army. But this summer, their food pantries are struggling. The Marquette Salvation Army says they've never been so low on canned foods.

"This summer's been a little worse on us, trying to fulfill the needs to the community by giving out food to those that need it, trying to get people to give us food and donations coming in. It's been rough," said Salvation Army Captain Joel Arthur.

And when it comes to donations in Ishpeming, it's a similar story in the summer months.

"The issue is, they're not as steady as the rest of the year. With the Canathon and the other food drives that go on in our community, they keep us full up until summer, then summer kind of lags off," said Salvation Army Lieutenant Stephen Hansen.

Anyone can go to the pantries and pick up a bag of food, and it's portioned to how many members are in the family.

The Salvation Army in Marquette says they normally give away 500 food boxes a month. And in Ishpeming, they provide food for about 90 families a month, but this summer, both are struggling to survive.

"We're really not looking for anyone to donate thousands of dollars worth of food. You know, one or two cans at a time. If everyone in the community stepped up and gave a couple of cans, we'd have more than enough food to make it to those big food drives that we know are coming," Lieutenant Hansen said.

These are the Salvation Armies in the U.P.:

Marquette
1009 W. Baraga Avenue
Marquette, MI 49855
(906) 226-2241

Ishpeming
222 E. Division Street
Ishpeming, MI 49849
(906) 486-8121

Hancock
408 Ravine St.
Hancock, MI 49930
(906) 482-3420

Escanaba
3001 5th Ave., S.,
Escanaba MI 49829
(906) 786-0590

Sault Ste. Marie
132 W. Spruce St.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
(906) 632-6521