UPDATED Tuesday, July 7, 2009 -- 8:15 p.m.

The need isn't just in cities like Madison. Rural areas need help fighting hunger too.

Once a month, for one hour, the Countryside Communities Center Mobile Pantry opens for business. Between January and June they gave out more than 35,000 pounds of food. That's more than 17-tons in six hours. And the need keeps growing.

"This is a real big help." 15-minutes before the mobile food pantry opens in Blue Mounds, volunteers are hard at work. The parking lot is full and a line is forming. A line full of people like Pat Horner.

"It's hard times for my husband and I." Horner and her husband live on a fixed income. Her husband has health problems and can't work.
She retired early to take care of him.

To help keep food on the table, Horner comes to the Countryside Communities Center Mobile Food Pantry. " This gives us an opportunity to have a little more. "

In January, when the mobile food pantry started, they served 44 families. Last month they served 107 families and gave out more than 3 tons of food.

"The need is there." Sharon Mahoney helps put the monthly event together. That need is what drove her group to start the mobile food pantry.

With the economy ailing and the nearest food pantry only open twice a week, Mahoney says her group is hoping to fill in the gaps." Mt. Horeb can only serve so much. And as the need grows you have to have more people to offer these services."

The final numbers aren't in for this month's mobile food pantry. But Mahoney and Horner already know more people than ever before showed up. "I think there's going to be a good crowd. I don't how many families but they're still coming in. " says Horner.

The pantry is open the first Tuesday of every month from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Anyone can come by. There are no income or residency restrictions.

_________________________________________________________

Posted Tuesday, July 7, 2009 -- 6:00 p.m.

They've only been at it since January of 2009. But in their first six months of operation, the Countryside Communities Center Mobile Food Pantry has distributed more than 35,000 pounds of food. That's more than 17-tons.

Tuesday afternoon the group held their monthly food pantry in Blue Mounds. In under an hour, 20-to-30 volunteers gave out three tons of food to families in need.

According to Sharon Mahoney, one of the organizers, the number of people showing up at the mobile food drives has grown a lot since they first started.

More on that story on NBC15 News at 10pm, and later this evening right here on NBC15.com