It is not hard to find someone struggling during these tough economic times. Take, for instance, Devon Lee. He and his wife have two children, but both are unemployed.

“We need food, clothing, resources,” said Lee. “Money is a big issue.”

But some relief came to Lee in a big way. He was one of more than 3,000 families to receive food assistance from a distribution organized by Feed The Children, the international hunger relief organization.

Feed The Children distributed eight semi tractor-trailers full of food items at Cal Expo on February 24. Salvation Army-Sacramento was a partner agency of Feed The Children and pre-identified the recipient families. The boxes are designed to help a family for up to one week.

“It shows that someone cares, that there’s some kind of angel out there,” Lee said. “Whatever helps. A little can go a long way, believe it or not.”

The distribution was the latest stop on Feed The Children’s Americans Feeding Americans Emergency Caravan, which has helped more than 30,000 families across the country in cities that have been affected by the nation’s economic downturn. Feed The Children is planning similar distributions in more than 20 major American cities this year.

“While they’re struggling to decide whether if I’m going to keep on the utilities or put food on the table,” said Tony Sellars, Feed The Children director of communications, “this is one less worry for that week and maybe they can catch up and get their life back in order.”

Currently, the poverty rate for persons under 18 years of age in Sacramento is 22 percent. California has the fifth-highest rate of unemployment in the country – more than twice the rate for December 2007, just two years prior. One in every seven persons in the state lives in poverty (more than 5 million people), including one in five children.

““We were so excited to be able to partner with Feed The Children in this time of need,” said David Bentley, Salvation Army Sacramento County coordinator. “Many families in the Sacramento region are struggling, and we’re very fortunate that we can play a part to assist them in any way.”

According to The Salvation Army, more than 120 volunteers participated in the four-hour distribution event.

Along with the food boxes, Feed The Children will also distribute hygiene and personal care products to each family.

Founded in 1979, Feed The Children is consistently ranked as one of the 10 largest international charities in the U.S., based on private, non-government support. Feed The Children is a Christian, international, nonprofit relief organization with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that delivers food, medicine, clothing and other necessities to individuals, children and families who lack these essentials due to famine, war, poverty or natural disasters. In fiscal year 2008, Feed The Children distributed more than 133 million pounds of food and other essentials to children and their families in all 50 states and internationally, supplementing more than 760,000 meals each day. Since its founding, the organization has reached out to help those in need in 119 countries around the globe.