A community assessment survey was distributed throughout Warren County via grocery stores, professional offices, churches and at a health fair. A total of 444 surveys were returned. Among the questions asked were three concerning daily eating habits among county residents. One question asked if the respondent had skipped meals in an effort to save money. The answer revealed roughly one in three people had skipped daily meals. A second question asked if the respondent had skipped meals in order to feed their children. Again, about one in three survey participants answered yes. A third question asked if the respondent's family always had enough to eat. In that instance, nearly three out of every four people said they did have enough to eat on a daily basis. "Some issues stand out," said Warren County sanitarian Andy Hoffman. "The response we got to those two questions about the reasons for skipping meals did surprise me. It was a lot more than I had expected." Hoffman added he felt the public response was "out of the ordinary." Administrator Ruth Walters said she found the response concerning "because it shows some people can't afford food." The two questions were under a category heading concerning the large number of working poor within Warren County. The overall survey, Walters and Hoffman said, was designed to identify areas in which the health department could intensify public awareness of the services available to county residents. Categories included domestic violence, unattended injury, drug awareness, suicide, health care facilities and the working poor. "If we, as a health department, can help put people in touch with the proper resources to assist them in their daily lives, then we are doing what we are supposed to do," said Walters. "We are educating people," she added, "and that's what we said we'd do." Hoffman said survey results indicated a large number of Warren County residents were not even award of services such as free safety helmets for bike riders and child safety seats for infants in automobiles. "Our hope in offering free bike helmets is that we can help establish some good habits for children," Hoffman observed. "We know that a lot of kids are attracted to a bike helmet because it's shiny and new. "But the key is to keep them wearing it after the newness wears off," Hoffman added. "Safety is a very important issue for this department and the way to do that is to educate the public."