Friday, September 11, 2020
It seems impossible to not take a moment to reflect on what happened in our country nineteen years ago today. The unimaginable attacks forever changed our county. The most beautiful silver lining we witnessed was how our country pulled together and became united.
We have witnessed a similar unity at the food bank since the pandemic. On this day six months ago, your food bank began preparing to address the pandemic. We had no idea what the future would hold. We had no idea of the impact that this pandemic would have on our operations. The one thing we knew for certain was that the number of those who are hungry would increase and that the need for food would grow.
Like the stories of the helpers that responded to September 11, these past six months are filled with stories of those who came to help the food bank. Since March, more than 3,700 people have given us their time to build kits, sort produce, and distribute food. There have been hundreds of you who have shown creativity in your efforts to help those who are hungry. We’ve heard stories of masks being made and sold, bracelets being made and sold, virtual symphony concerts, virtual and physical food drives, front step photography projects, virtual rock concerts, bike races, making and selling signs, selling produce that was donated by a local farmer, and old fashion lemonade stands, to name a few. Thousands of you sent us monetary support and we are so grateful.
We use every dollar we receive. The scope and scale of how much food we need to buy is simply staggering. Our spending on food has increased from about $37,500 per month to $1,000,000 per month. Our food distribution has ballooned by 83 percent. The number of those we serve has increased by 61 percent. We went from making a little more than 900 food kits a week to nearly 7,000 food kits a week. None of this would be possible without our community uniting to fight hunger.
While no one has a crystal ball to predict when this pandemic will be over, we are certain that the economic crisis will have lasting effects and prolonged needs. We remain steadfast in our commitment to lead the community in the fight to end hunger. We are thankful for the many helpers.
Together, we are making a difference and responding to the challenges before us.
To support our efforts, please click here.
If you are looking for food, please click here.
If you are well, able, and willing to volunteer, please click here to sign up.