Acquaintances know that I am a huge supporter of the United Way of Natrona County, mostly because I'm lazy and busy. It's incredibly easy for a lazy person to get a paycheck with a few dollars taken out that have been given directly to an organization that helps 29 places help others.

But sometimes, stuff happens, and now is one of those times.

I called Shelley Tryon at the Salvation Army the other day to see what they needed besides 600 turkeys.

The simplicity of her request astonished me.

"Cans of soup -- you know, the Progresso ready-to-eat ones that you don't have to add water to," she said. "That way, the guys on the streets can just open them and get a lot of nutrition right there."

Guys on the streets -- in Casper, where seemingly a new restaurant pops up every week. In Casper, where there are 24-hour stores and national chain stores and locally owned stores that sell, sell, sell to people ready to buy, buy, buy.

Shelley says that she regularly feeds 17-year-olds, single men and single women, two-parent families with kids and one-parent families with kids.

Hunger and homelessness cross all lines in all places -- including Casper.

So then I called Joyce Pound at Joshua's Storehouse, just at the other end of the Salvation Army's parking lot.

If you can get more humble than a can of soup, here it was -- Joyce wants whole chickens, so one person or two elderly people don't have to worry about the leftovers from a turkey. Oh, and she wants fresh potatoes and onions.

Onions, which are like 39 cents a pound? Yes, onions.

So I slammed down the phone and I left.

Five minutes later, I was blowing through the aisles. One 6-pound whole chicken; one 12-pound frozen solid turkey; one 8-pound bag of russet potatoes; one small net bag of yellow onions and two cans of beef barley ready-to-eat soup.

Less than a dollar a day for a month.

Less than a large pizza and 12-pack of pop.

Less than a tank of gas.

When I took the turkey and the soup to the Salvation Army, the lobby was filled with people waiting to fill out forms.

I stuck the stuff on Shelley's office chair and left.

At the other end of the parking lot, I handed the chicken, potatoes and onions to a woman at the counter at Joshua's.

"Can we get your name so we can send you a thank you?" she asked.

"No, that's OK," I said.

They had already done more for me than I could possibly do for them.

I'm as guilty as anyone else. My Thanksgiving grocery list has had center stage on my dining room table for a week. I've been through recipes already, but every time I walk past that list, I add something.

And we're having dinner for three -- maybe four -- maybe seven at the most. Do we really need two kinds of potatoes, a hot vegetable, a cold salad and four pies?

Well of course we don't.

There are free Thanksgiving dinners all over Casper on Thursday, and hopefully there will be in your communities as well.

The $23.90 I spent the other day did me way more good than it could possibly do anyone who is hungry.

And the next time I have $24, I'll spend it on canned food for their pantry shelves.

Because hunger doesn't know what day it is.

Community News editor Sally Ann Shurmur can be reached at (307) 266-0520 or sallyann.shurmur@trib.com. Read Sal's blog at tribtown.trib.com/Sal/blog and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WYOSAS