Fund drive helps 'Pack the Pantry'

Fort Scott Chiropractic employee Alisha Watkins sorts through non-perishable food items which were donated during the local office's Pack the Pantry for the Hungry event. The project, which was conducted on Thursday, made it possible for chiropractic patients to receive spinal adjustments for the price of a non-perishable food item. The food items will be used to assist low-income families in the local area this holiday season.--Rayma Silvers/Herald-Tribune

Fort Scott Chiropractic, 222 State, opened its doors on Thursday for the sole purpose of helping both Bourbon County residents and more than 100 of the center's patients.

The local chiropractic office participated in a national event to help low-income families during the Thanksgiving holiday.

The "Pack the Pantry for the Hungry" event, which was organized by the Family Practice Organization, is being conducted during the month of November by many of the 60,000 chiropractors across the nation, according to The Family Practice Web site, www.thefamilypractice.net, which is a national fellowship of chiropractors that emphasize the importance of natural family wellness.

According to local chiropractor Robert O'Dell, the office's goal was to exchange non-perishable food items for spinal adjustments on existing patients. The food items that were donated will help stock the shelves of The Beacon, which is a local community assistance agency and food pantry, O'Dell said.

"This is our day to give back to the community," he said.

According to O'Dell, spinal adjustments provide an extra boost to the nervous and immune systems of active practice patients, helping to prepare them for the flu season.

"Spinal adjustments help remove interference to the nervous system, resulting from stress and daily wear and tear, acting like a computer upgrade to the nervous system," O'Dell said. "This effectively de-stresses the body and increases the innate capacity of the body to function at a higher level promoting wellness. We like to refer to this as turning the power on -- the power, the body via the nervous system, uses to maintain health, healing, and repair. I can't think of any one who wouldn't want their nervous system operating as close to 100 percent of its function as is possible. A healthy functioning nervous system supports a healthy functioning body."

In addition to the health benefits to the patients who participated in Pack the Pantry, the food which was donated during the exchange event will help area families who may otherwise not have much sustenance during the Thanksgiving holiday. Data provided by the Food Research and Action Center, www.frac.org, identifies the growing need for food assistance in the United States.

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 38 million people in our nation -- 13.9 million of them children -- live in households that suffer from hunger or live on the edge of hunger," read a passage on the Web site. "This hunger and food insecurity are far too widespread in our wealthy society. Hunger in the United States is a problem that can be cured."

According to O'Dell, Fort Scott Chiropractic's Pack the Pantry for the Hungry event was created to help address this growing need.