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 As the
Nation’s Food Bank Network called America’s Second Harvest
works with food banks across the country, the St. Louis Area
Foodbank lends it’s support as well by
sending 2 trucks full of product to Louisiana.
In addition to the much-needed food, as requested by
America's Second Harvest the Foodbank has sent a truck and
driver to Baton Rouge, LA to work for the next 4 weeks.
Eight of America’s Second Harvest affiliates have been affected by
hurricane Katrina, and some 200 other affiliates across the
country are now working in their respective communities to
funnel food to those that have become displaced from this
disaster. Items sent by the St. Louis Area Foodbank include
assorted ready-to-eat dry goods; personal care items; dry
milk; and cleaning supplies.
"When we experienced the Great Flood of 1993 I was overwhelmed with
support from food banks across the country. They didn’t
just call with condolences; they sent us truckloads of food
to feed flood victims along the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers. We’ll never be able to repay that debt but I’m
thankful that now we’re able to give something back,” said
Frank Finnegan, St. Louis Area Foodbank Executive Director.
As of close
of business on Wednesday, August 31, more than one million
pounds of food and grocery product had been secured for
disaster relief efforts, most of this from major corporate
donors. This equates to more than 28 truckloads.
Fundraising activities are recommended over food drives
because of the logistical challenges of sorting, shipping
and distributing collected items.
Please note
that 100% of donations collected for Hurricane Katrina will
be directly used to support disaster-relief activities and
assist member food banks in providing food to the people in
need. America’s Second Harvest needs financial donations to
maintain a strong disaster response program. To make a
financial donation which will directly assist America’s
Second Harvest Network Members in affected areas, visit
www.secondharvest.org or call 800-344-8070. For
information on local disaster-relief efforts being made in
cooperation with America’s Second Harvest, contact the St.
Louis Area Foodbank – the local affiliate of America’s
Second Harvest by visiting
www.stlfoodbank.org or calling (314) 423-6100.
America's Second Harvest -- The Nation's Food Bank Network
is the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief
organization with a Network of more than 200 regional member
food banks and food - rescue programs serving all 50 states,
the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The America's
Second Harvest Network secures and distributes nearly two
billion pounds of donated food and grocery products
annually. The America's Second Harvest Network supports
approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating
more than 94,000 programs including food pantries, soup
kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and
Kids Cafes. Last year, the America's Second Harvest Network
provided food assistance to more than 23 million low-income
hungry people in the United States, including more than nine
million children and nearly three million seniors. For more
on America's Second Harvest, please visit
www.secondharvest.org.
The St. Louis Area Foodbank
feeds hungry people by distributing food through its member
agencies, and educates the public about the nature of and
the solutions to the problems of hunger. The Foodbank
gathers and distributes nearly 13 million pounds of food
each year to more than 500 food pantries, homeless shelters,
soup kitchens, and emergency feeding programs throughout 14
counties in eastern Missouri and 12 counties in southwestern
Illinois. Recent studies show that n any given week, more
than 43,000 different local individuals rely on the St.
Louis Area Foodbank for assistance. For information about
the Foodbank, call (314) 423-6100 or visit
www.stlfoodbank.org.
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