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SILER CITY -- This is a story about hard times in small-town North Carolina. It's also the story of Hispanics, who moved there to take low-paying jobs but who are now out of work. This is the story of a town that's hurting.

The story begins when Siler City, located 30 miles southeast of Greensboro, got jolting news last March. The town's largest employer, Pilgrim's Pride, a poultry processing plant, was closing. More than 820 people -- mostly Hispanics -- would be jobless.

Siler City's plight is not unique in these economically troubled times. But small towns, unlike cities, offer fewer options for the unemployed to find another job. Many workers finally give up and leave, emptying towns and diminishing tax revenues.

Joel J. Brower has seen other industries fold during his 13 years as town manager. Near his office is an abandoned brick factory that once housed a busy textile plant. Down the road was a furniture manufacturer that made office furniture, including the desk in his office. But those industries shut down years ago, and Siler City invested hope in its poultry plant and nearby chicken hatcheries.

Brower was "shocked" when he was notified that Pilgrim's Pride was closing. It was the largest employer in Siler City and the second largest in Chatham County. Making matters worse, two other companies recently laid off about 200 workers. Altogether, Siler City lost 1,000 jobs, a devastating blow for a town with only 8,000 population.

"We already have folks leaving our town," Brower said. Grocery stores, clothing stores, car dealerships -- all will suffer, he said. And those who stay have less buying power.

Nearly 40 percent of Siler City's population is Hispanic, and 80 percent of the Pilgrim's Pride workforce was Hispanic. It's politically expedient for politicians (and CNN's Lou Dobbs) to rant about "the immigration problem." But Brower said relations between the community and Hispanics had, overall, been good.

Dee Lee Tompkins, a city employee, agreed. "Our families came here for a better life," she said, "and that's what Hispanics are doing, too."

Marcia Espinola is associate director of Chatham County's Hispanic Liaison, a nonprofit organization located in the center of town. Founded in 1995, the Hispanic Liaison is funded by the United Way, the town and private foundations. Its purpose is to promote cultural understanding between Hispanics and the community and to help Hispanics.

Espinola's waiting room was overflowing one recent afternoon. The plant's closing had dealt a colossal blow to the Hispanic community. The Hispanic center opens a food pantry three times a month and unemployed workers are flocking there. "It's heartbreaking," she said, "because in two hours the food is gone."

She said job losses had intensified emotional distress. Family violence, depression and even suicides had increased, she said. Some people were leaving for other states to find work while others were returning to Latin America. She spends time nowadays filling out passport applications for children born in the United States. (Children born in this country become automatic citizens.)

On Siler City's main street, stores had few customers that afternoon. "Everything has slowed down because nobody has money," said Mona Lupo, a clerk at J&D Fashions.

Townspeople and business have suddenly felt the fallout, too. Their water bill has increased $10 per month. Pilgrim's Pride was the town's biggest water consumer, and locals must now pay higher water rates. Some gloomily predict taxes will rise, too.

Town Manager Brower is trying to look on the bright side. A new juvenile detention center for girls will bring 80 new jobs to town. But that won't make up for the 824 jobs that vanished when the poultry plant closed.

Nor is anybody feeling festive. The Chatham County Hispanic Liaison has called off the Fiesta Latina scheduled for Saturday. Too many people were facing "enormous hardship," it said, and attention would be focused instead on helping people without work.

Rosemary Roberts writes a Friday column. E-mail: rmroberts@triad.rr.com.