Help your Kids to Read While Helping St. Mary's

For the month of October, you can help donate food to St. Mary's by ordering the delightful children's book "Peas and Bananas Outside with Lil Boo". Visit http://www.booklocker.com/books/4479.html and order the book, and 4 cans of food will be donated to St. Mary's Food Bank.

Golf Balls for Charity . . . Join in on the Fun
On Sept. 24, the North Scottsdale C of C will be presenting its 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament at the Kierland Golf Course, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting St. Mary's. Among the highlights will be the "Helicopter Ball Drop", offering exciting prizes for a hole-in-one. For more info, and to register for the tourney or ball drop, visit www.northscottsdalechapter.org.

Child Hunger Increases in AZ, Now 3rd Worst in US

According to a recent study by the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America, food insecurity in children in Arizona is now at 24.2%, meaning that almost 1 in 4 children under 18 is effected; only Texas and Arkansas have higher percentages.The percentage in AZ increased 4% from the last report.

Nationwide, 18.9% of children under 18 now suffer some form of food insecurity.

The "Challenge" is Met . . . and St. Mary's Benefits

"The Biggest Loser" Pound for Pound Challenge is now history, and St. Mary's supporters more than met the challenge. A total of 2,571 supporters pledged 77,389 pounds, putting the Food Bank in 17th place among over 60 food banks entered. Those pledged pounds will earn $10,834 for the Food Bank.

Churches Step Up to Aid Local Food Banks

A coalition of Valley churches held a special Fathers Day food drive to fill the shelves of area food banks, including St. Mary's. New Life Community Church, Scottsdale Bible Church, and Christ's Church of the Valley collected the equivalent of 270,000 meals for the Food Bank. Even though they've helped to "Send Hunger Packing", many of the participants are planning another massive food drive in the Fall.

AMEX Helps Food Bank Provide for Emergency Food Boxes

While the local economy is still in recovery mode, the demand for EFBs this FY is up over 30%. American Express is helping to "Send Hunger Packing" by giving St. Mary's a $30,000 grant to be used for EFBs. The attached photo shows Christa Burkhalter presenting a check to St. Mary's CEO Terry Shannon.

Help "Stamp Out Hunger" on May 8
This Saturday the National Association of Letter Carriers is holding their annual food drive. They'll be collecting non-perishable food for donation to area food banks. Leave your donation at you local mailbox that morning and the postman will do the rest. Last year's drive generated over 400,000 pounds for St. Mary's, just in time for Summer, our period of greatest need.

State's Effort to Cut Access to Health Care Could Cost Billions
In an effort to reduce the State's deficit, the Republican-dominated Legislature has reduced or eliminated health insurance for over 300,000 low-income residents. But those measures have apparently run afoul of new rules in the just-signed health reform bill. Unless the reductions are reversed, Arizona could lose almost $7 billion in Federal funds. For more information on this, visit http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/03/23/20100323kids-care-cost-arizona-billions.html.

Help St. Mary's "Be More Humble"

Channel 8 PBS is honoring non-profits throughout Arizona by sponsoring the Be More Awards. St. Mary's has entered the competition on behalf of its Community Kitchen program. Among the awards to be presented is the "Be More Humble" Award, given to the non-profit that gets the most votes in an on-line poll. So you can go to www.azpbs.org/bemore every day through April 12 and vote for St. Mary's; tell your friends, relatives, business associates, etc. to join you in voting.

A Good Source for Info On Poverty & Obesity

The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) is a good resource for information on obesity, especially as it relates to children. It quotes Census/USDA data showing that 16.7 million children (22.5% of all children) in America live in food insecure households, and 25% of kids aged 2-5 and 33% of school-aged kids are overweight or obese. A visit to http://www.frac.org/ will provide more info, as well as highlighting government programs that help keep children healthy. For a local (Arizona) organization fighting childhood obesity, visit http://endchildhungeraz.org/.

Get a Ticket to Ride and Help St. Mary's

This Friday, Feb. 26, bring 3 non-perishable food items or a $3 donation to St. Mary's Food Bank to Encanto Park's Enchanted Island Amusement Park and enjoy unlimited rides from 4:30pm-7:30pm. You can try the carousel, train, bumper boats, or any of the other attractions while providing food to those in need in Arizona. For more info, call 602 254-1200 or visit http://www.enchantedisland.com/.

They Picked . . . They Came . . . They Conquered

Under the most adverse of conditions, Super Sitrus Saturday was a big success. Many people were not going to let a little(?) rain stop them from bringing in their oranges and grapefruit to our locations in Arcadia and Central Phoenix. Almost 20,000 pounds (that's 10 tons, folks) was collected. Thanks also to our volunteers and staff (including yours truly) who gave of their time to help. If you've gleaned fruit and couldn't make it to our locations on Saturday, you can drop it off at our 31st Ave. or Surprise locations.

If You Glean It, We Will Come

This Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9-2, St. Mary's Food Bank will be holding its first "Super Sitrus Saturday". People throughout the Valley can glean their trees and bring the fruit to either North Phoenix Baptist Church (Central & Bethany Home) or Shepherd of the Hills Church (56th St. & Lafayette Blvd.) in Arcadia. Also anyone who brings fruit to Shepherd of the Hills will be eligible for a "thank you" car wash. The Food Bank is hoping to collect a total of 2.5 million pounds throughout the Valley by March 31. If you want to become a volunteer gleaner, call Chuck at 602 343-5658

They Came, They Saw, They Gleaned

Kudos to Willow Canyon High School in Surprise. Last weekend a group of 90 volunteers, including students, staff, and parents, gleaned citrus trees in the Sun City area. When they had finished, a total of 40,380 pounds of citrus had been donated to St. Mary's Food Bank. The Food Bank, which is hoping to collect 2.5 million pounds of citrus by March 31, will use the citrus both for their food boxes and to trade to other food banks for local fruits and veggies (e.g., potatoes, apples, and onions).

Past, Present, and Future Major Leaguers go to Bat for St. Mary's
This month Major League Baseball will step up to the plate for St. Mary's Food Bank. On Feb. 17 & 18 players from the Brewers minor league system will glean produce from trees at two Sun City locations, helping the Food Bank to reach it's goal of gleaning 2.5 million pounds of citrus by Mar. 31. Then on Feb. 20, former players like Tim Salmon and Dave Dravecky and current players like Micah Owings and Eric Chavez will be at Surprise Stadium from 5-8pm to hold clinics and sign autographs. A donation of non-perishable food gets you in free.

Boy Scouts Come Through For St. Mary's

February 8 marks the 100th Anniversary of scouting, and throughout the state of Arizona Boy Scouts have collected food for distribution to food banks state-wide. Locally, St. Mary's received 12,800 pounds of non-perishable food. This is over three times the 4,000 pounds collected in 2009.

The Emergency Continues . . and St. Mary's Responds
Continuing its emergency food response to areas of Apache, Coconino and Navajo counties hard-hit by January’s record winter storms, St. Mary’s Food Bank coordinated with the Arizona National Guard to deliver more than 2,000 Emergency Food Boxes to Holbrook this weekend to help those desperately in need of food including those living on the Hopi and Navajo Indian reservations.
After sending more than 1,100 food boxes along with a truckload of water and produce to Chinle on Jan. 25-26 to meet emergency needs at the time, state officials contacted St. Mary’s on Jan.30 asking for further emergency assistance. The landscapes of the reservation have seen 5 to 8 feet of snow, making it impossible to obtain essential services and provisions for those unable to leave their homes and navigate roads obliterated by the melting residue of record snowfall.
The higher elevations received an additional 12” of snow from a secondary storm this past week and flood hazards are developing in the lower elevations. The National Guard was able to resume air operations in the area on Saturday when the storms finally subsided, and residents who have not yet been provided assistance are still being discovered.
Calling in all necessary personnel for emergency duty, the Food Bank also enlisted the help of dozens of volunteers to build the necessary Emergency Food Boxes for the five-hour trip to the north. Especially giving was a group of volunteers from The Arizona Republic, who quickly agreed to stay well beyond the originally planned time until all the food boxes needed had been accounted for.
Less than 48 hours after the initial call was put out, more than 2,200 Emergency Food Boxes had arrived at the Navajo Rex Fairgrounds for both ground and air distribution to more than 60 Chapter Houses along the reservation. This brings to total of number of boxes – which are designed to feed families for several days – to more than 3,300 over the last eight days.
St. Mary’s Food Bank remains in contact with all state agencies and stands ready to provide further assistance to this effort.

St. Mary's Comes to the Aid of Storm Victims

St. Mary's made an emergency delivery of food to the Navajo nation in northern Arizona Monday. Isolated by a near record snowfall, the tribe was unable to get a normal delivery from the Food Bank's Flagstaff location, which itself was snowed in, so a truck was dispatched from the Phoenix warehouse with about 550 emergency food boxes. The next day the Food Bank sent another truck packed with water and produce. For more info visit http://www.abc15.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=26654@knxv.dayport.com&navCatId=3.

The Pounds (and the funds) Keep Piling UP

Thanks to those who entered the "Pound for Pound Challenge". To date 1,208 people have taken up the challenge and pledged to lose 37,254 pounds, generating $5,215 for St. Mary's. This is already more than we pledged in 2009. Have your friends, relatives, etc. visit www.pfpchallenge.com, click on the pledge link, enter their DOB and the 85009 zip code and how many pounds they pledge to lose. That's all there is to it!

Current Recession Casts its Shadow over Future Employment

As some small modicum of "normalcy" returns to the economy, many are pointing out that, in many cases, the new economy will bear only a fleeting resemblance to the old. A number of economists and others point that many jobs lost in the current downtown may never come back, due either to decreased demand for their services or to technical innovation. A recent article by Justin Lahart in the WSJ, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126325594634725459.html?mod=igoogle_wsj_gadgv1 , highlights the problems some long-term unemployed face.

Accept the "Challenge" and Help St. Mary's

For the second year, "The Biggest Loser" and Feeding America are raising money for America's food banks. For each pound you pledge to lose, 14 cents (the equivalent of one meal) will be donated to St. Mary's. Visit http://www.pfpchallenge.com/ and click on the pledge link, enter your DOB and 85009 zip code, the number of pounds you pledge to lose, and your name. Last year St. Mary's friends and family pledged 36,866 pounds, generating $5,160; this year we're looking to surpass those figures. [Keep in mind that while your pledge of pounds lost should be reasonable, no one will visit you to verify your loss.]

Here's a New Year's Resolution Worth Keeping . . . And it's Easy Too!

Make 2010 the year that you resolve to learn more about these key issues: hunger, poverty, and nutrition. And it's easy (and free): just plan to attend a one-hour Hunger 101 session in January. This month the sessions include: Faces of Hunger on Jan. 21 at 9:00am at 13050 W. Elm St. in Surprise, or Jan. 22 at 10:30am at 2831 N. 31st Ave. in Phoenix; and Advocacy & Action on Jan. 25 at 1:00pm in Surprise and Jan. 26 at 1:00pm in Phoenix. To register for one of these informative sessions, contact Ray Combe at rlcombe@firstfoodbank.org or 602 343-3164.

Almost 1 in 50 Americans live on Nothing . . . But Food Stamps

In ever increasing numbers (up 50% over the last 2 years), Americans report that they have no cash income of any kind, and exist solely on the food purchased with Food Stamps. A recent article in the New York Times highlights the problems these people face coping with their situation. View the article at http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/d/jason_deparle/index.html?inline=nyt-per.

St. Mary's Distributes over 75 Million Pounds in 2009

Responding to unprecedented demand brought about by the economic downturn, St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance distributed 76.88 million pounds of food during 2009. This was 35% higher than 2008, and over 85% higher than 2007. Included in this figure are 391,000 Emergency Food Boxes, an incredible 88% increase over 2008.