Food bank says hunger increasing at ‘alarming’ rate in U.S.

Courtesy the Weld Food Bank

Poverty and food insecurity are problems across the United States. Nationally, one in six children goes to bed hungry or at risk of hunger. The national average monthly cost to feed a family of four is $850, which is 1/3 of a family’s  income if they are living in poverty.
    Hunger in America 2010 is the largest study of domestic hunger, providing comprehensive and statistically valid data on our emergency food distribution system and the people that food banks serve. The report shows that hunger is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States, and a network of food banks is expanding its reach in response to the study.
The Changing
Face of Hunger
    Hunger is a reality for one in eight people in Colorado. Hunger is not confined to a neighborhood, a gender, an age, a race. Hunger can affect anyone. The statistics most likely do not represent the full scope of the problem. There are many families who are not living in poverty, as defined by the government. But their incomes are likely inadequate to comfortably feed their families. In Weld County, the annual self-sufficiency income needed for a family of four to live without public or private assistance is $42,321.
    This is where the Weld Food Bank comes in. The Weld Food Bank is here to help those who are in need of food assistance. With the help of volunteers, advocates and donors, the food bank works tirelessly to serve struggling families, the working poor, the homeless, or any resident in need.

In Your Community
    Hunger is an issue that can affect people in any community, no matter the size. Through local agencies throughout the county, Weld Food Bank is working to reach those in need. Weld Food Bank distributes commodities weekly in Fort Lupton, nearly 3,000 food boxes per year. The food bank and its partners distributed nearly 8,000 backpacks last school year in Frederick, Dacono and Firestone. The food bank distributes 182,514 pounds of food through local south county agencies including Fort Lupton Food Pantry, Tri Town Baptist in Frederick, and Helping Hand Food Pantry in Frederick. Last year, the food bank served 3,600 prepared meals to hungry children in Dacono and Fort Lupton through the summer feeding program.

Help Make a Difference
    Get involved. There are many different ways to help Weld Food Bank. Last year community members donated 21,780 volunteer hours. That’s equivalent to more than 11 full time staff members.
    Host a food drive. We collected 118,230 pounds of food through local food drives, and our donors continued to show their overwhelming support of our work through their financial donations.
    Become an advocate. Advocates weigh in on critical public policy issues on local, state and national levels. We can give you the tools to communicate with your legislators and to ensure that your voice is heard. With your help we can effect change. Help us make hunger a national priority.
    Donate. Weld Food Bank is always looking for funds to assist with operational costs. Oftentimes, people think that a food bank only needs food. But this isn’t the case. Most often, Weld Food Bank can get food for free, but it takes money to transport and distribute it. For example, there may be a truckload of cereal available from a national donor in Michigan. But it can cost $3,000 or more to get the product shipped to Colorado. For every $1 received, Weld Food Bank can distribute $10 worth of food to needy individuals. The next time you are considering buying $50 worth of food to donate, remember that Weld Food Bank, through volume purchasing, can acquire and distribute more food than you could buy even at a warehouse club.