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.