This is the time of year when all the orange associated with Hunger Action Month transitions to the orange of pumpkins and fall leaves. Outside, fall is a beautiful time of year to live in the Midwest.
Throughout September, it was so inspiring to see local media personalities, Foodbank volunteers, and businesses “going orange” to show their support for individuals facing food insecurity. We believe the more people that are aware of the more than 427,000 individuals in the bi-state region going hungry each year, the better chance we have of being able to feed them and significantly reducing that number.
While our designated month may be over, the need remains and we’re working to move people from asking “WILL there be dinner?” to “WHAT is for dinner?” It is hard to enjoy the beauty of any season when you are hungry.
Internally, we’re taking steps to increase access to food for everyone that needs it throughout our 26-county service territory. We believe that with your help, we can make that vision a reality. We are always looking for more friends to join our Foodbank Family!
We are now hosting as many as six (6) Food Fairs per month. Food Fairs are held in areas where people in need have limited options for food assistance, often in the rural portions of our service territory. We work with a partner agency in that community to identify 200 families who are the most in need. They receive vouchers and in one afternoon, we distribute approximately 18-25,000 pounds of food and personal care items directly to families in need. If you would like to join us this fall at one of our Food Fairs, please contact Maya Summers at msummers@stlfoodbank.org to sign up!
We are also increasing the number of volunteers we can accommodate at our facility, Tuesday through Saturday. We offer offsite team-building opportunities as well, where we bring the volunteer project to you. If you share the will to do something about hunger, there is a way that you, your family, your business, church or community group can help us make a difference in the lives of people in our community.
Busy schedule? No worries! An amazing way to support the Foodbank is with a monetary donation. I know that there are many organizations out there asking for money, but I want to ensure you understand the “buying power” that we have here at the Foodbank.
Did you know that we can purchase 40,000 pounds of another fall staple – apples – for around $9,000 on average (and that includes transportation to get them here)? Try doing THAT at your local grocery store! ? Even when apples are on sale, they’re usually around $1.99 per pound. That means we are spending about $70,000 less than what you would pay for the same amount of apples at the store!
We can stretch dollars to provide millions of pounds of fresh fruits, vegetables, protein and dairy annually. Every dollar we receive goes a long way toward not only alleviating hunger but developing innovative solutions that eliminate the need for someone to receive food assistance in the first place.
Did you know that with just $1 we can provide 4 meals? Did you know that 97% of the resources we receive go directly to feeding our hungry neighbors in need? It is super easy to donate and be part of the solution! Click here to see how: https://stlfoodbank.org/Donate
So this fall while you are enjoying nature’s beautiful canvas of colors doing any number of things that Midwesterners tend to love about fall, such as cozying up around a bonfire or joining a few hundred of your closest friends at a Friday night football game, please help us help others around us do the same. With your support, we can build stronger communities by empowering people with food and hope…and maybe even a dash of something pumpkin spice!
