NATCHEZ &045; Associated Charities President Robert Joseph has watched prescription drug prices rise for the past few years &045; making it harder for his organization to help those in need.

Associated Charities, which distributes clothing, food and medicine to those in need in Adams County, uses all of its United Way allocation &045; and then some &045; to help provide vouchers for prescription drugs. Drug stores approve the medications distributed.

&uot;Prescription medicine has gone up terribly high,&uot; said Joseph, who has worked with the 100-year-old organization since 1985.

Despite the increases, Associated Charities and its volunteers work hard to provide for the truly needy. A volunteer nurse handles requests for prescription drugs, Joseph said.

&uot;We help a lot of folks,&uot; he said. &uot;When you’re in a charitable business, you meet a lot of different kinds of folks.&uot;

But prescription drugs are not the only way Associated Charities helps those in need. From families who cannot afford school uniforms to the elderly who cannot buy groceries, the agency reaches out to a variety of people in the community.

Associated Charities works with drug stores and grocery stores to provide vouchers for what recipients need &045;therefore, the group does not hand out any food or medication itself.

The organization does not do much advertising of its services, relying on other agencies to help refer people, Joseph said.

&uot;We try to help all we can,&uot; Joseph said. &uot;A lot of people are very, very appreciative of what we do.&uot;

But over its many years, Associated Charities has helped a variety of people &045; and the ways it has helped have evolved.

&uot;We went from years ago giving people garden seed to plant in their gardens to giving them groceries,&uot; Joseph said. &uot;We cut out all the work.&uot;