Feed Your Mind This Holiday Season

Spend an hour, learn a lot, at one of the Hunger 101 sessions during October or November. Learn about the isuues of poverty, hunger, and nutrition. These free programs are held in the air-conditioned Volunteer Center at St. Mary's Food Bank at 2831 N. 31st Ave. Sessions include "Faces of Hunger" on Oct. 9th @9-10am and Nov. 9th @10-11am; "Advocacy & Action" on Oct. 23rd @9-10am and Nov. 16th @10-11am; and "Fast Foods:Making Healthy Choices" on Oct. 30 @9-10am and Nov. 2nd @10-11am.

To learn more, or to reserve a seat, contact Raymond Combe at rlcombe@firstfoodbank.org or 602 343-3164.

Valley High Schools Join the Fight on Hunger

More than a dozen Valley high schools are joining a nation-wide assault on hunger. Beginning on Sept. 14 and running for six weeks, local high schools will be competing to see who can collect the most food and claim the John van Hengel Cup, won last year by Glendale's Mountain Ridge High School. One of six schools that competed in last year's event, Mountain Ridge will face increased competition this go round. All the food collected will go to St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance.

Download or Share Great Pork Recipes to Fight Hunger
In conjunction with their "National Eat Together Week", the National Pork Board will hold a "Click For The Cause" promotion through Sept. 26. Visit http://www.theotherwhitemeat.com/TOWM_promoNETW.aspx, select a recipe or share one with others, and the Pork Board will send five pounds of pork product to a food bank.

Recession Drives Poverty Rates Higher
Logic would indicate that the recession, which according to economists began in December 2007, would drive up the poverty rate. And now a report issued by the Census Bureau has confirmed the fact. The recession has had an effect in other areas as well; a decline in the number of people with private or employer-provided health insurance, and stagnation in middle-class incomes. To access a NY Times article on the subject, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/us/11poverty.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1252695640-eLIoq17nWgz459pZ5g0JkA

In case you didn't know . . . Don't Mess With Phoenix

To celebrate Hunger Action Month, Feeding America and The Cheesecake Factory are holding a cross-country tour, 30 cities in 30 days, collecting food for local food banks and giving out cheesecake. Phoenix was the sixth stop. Over the first five stops they collected 3,140 cans, then came to Phoenix on Sunday from 7-10am. In the middle of a three-day weekend, and early in the morning, the people of Phoenix donated 3,069 cans. The tour then moved on to Denver; cooler weather and the middle of the day, they collected 760 cans. Thank you Phoenix for setting the bar so high! For some photos of the event visit http://www.facebook.com/thecheesecakefactory#/album.php?aid=145089&id=106628409154&ref=mf.

Local Restaurants Step up to Help Food Bank

In the current economic climate, where demand for food from St. Mary's is up over 60%, here are two places that are stepping up to help with food and/or funds:
On Sept. 9, bring one or more packages of ramen noodles to any local Pei Wei and receive 50% off their new Japanese Chile Beef Ramen. Pei Wei will donate the noodles and make a cash donation to St. Mary's.
On Sept. 12, the T.G.I.Friday's in Glendale (5855 W. Bell Rd., 602 843-9000) will be having a "Best Bartender" competition. Waitresses will be "selling" seats, auctioning special drinks, and they'll be give-aways and raffles (must be present to win). Patrons are encouraged to bring a bag of non-perishable items as a cover charge. For more info, contact the restaurant.