Rain beats down on Helping Hand food pantry and thrift store in Kennett, Mo., drowning out the roar of the dryers at the nearby peanut plant. The organization has only one paid employee: army veteran and former trucker, Tim Cox.

Tim Cox, 58, directs one member of the rotating cast of volunteers at Helping Hand. Often short staffed and chronically underfunded, Tim juggles the demands of a food pantry and the retail services of a thrift store.

Tim Cox, left, laughs with three state provided workers and a recipient of a Helping Hand food box. These volunteers work at the center to fulfill their community service hour requirements as part of their parole or probation. The alliance of churches that oversee the operation of Helping Hand weren't keen on using state provided volunteers after Tim's first proposition. Now, they make up the majority of his work force, thanks to his consistent advocacy.

Tim Cox schedules a meeting for the following month on the large wall calendar in his office. Time, like food, is a commodity in his daily work and both are rare with the increasing demand for assistance in the community.

With hot food in hand, Tim Cox and a local volunteer bring lunch for the state provided workers, who he affectionately refers to as "the guys." The meals provided by the Community Supervision Center are stable, but sparse. Tim uses his time with them to provide a respite from the highly supervised and regimented recovery program, providing home cooked meals for lunches as often as he can.

On designated days, Tim Cox enters the online lottery system for the area foodbank with a shopping list that is rarely fulfilled. The system is first come, first serve and essential canned goods are in short supply. "There aren't anymore veggies, just tomatoes. There's always tomatoes."

Tim Cox went to his bank to discuss the required documentation so he may withdraw funds. Helping Hand has undergone adminsitrative changes since Tim Cox took over in February which means there's a lack of institutional knowledge.

Tim Cox drives state provided workers back to the Community Supervision Center in Kennett. Tim often struggles with the restraints on the food assistance program at Helping Hand. "The work is so gratifying, but it's just hard sometimes. When the family or kids services come, it hits me a little harder." Tim is referring to families with young kids in need.

Caregiving continues after work for Tim Cox since the diagnosis of his wife's multiple sclerosis. His home sits quiet with the blinds closed. He left the transportation industry to be close to his wife and took the position at Helping Hand because it was part-time. But the work demands full-time hours and Tim doesn't know how much more time he can devote to the position.

Previously overflowing in May, the freezers at Helping Hand now sit empty. Tornado assistance and dwindling corporate donations depleted their reserves and Tim Cox struggles to restock. "Hopefully at the end of the day, [the recipients] come out with health and smile to move on to the next day. But [the work] never lets up."