As communities endure continuing economic challenges, feeding hungry people with nutritious food is a daunting task. This year, more than ever, the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County is counting on Hunger Awareness Day to help as many as 40,000 residents overcome the increased challenge to feed their families.  

Hunger Awareness Day 2011 is set for Friday, June 3, and event organizers say they’ll need to top last year’s “One Day, One Dollar, One Big Challenge to Feed the Hungry” campaign total of $96,000 to meet the ever-growing demand for food assistance in our county. In fact, organizers have set the biggest goal ever of $150,000. 

Carl Hansen, Executive Director said “because the need is greater than ever we hope to exceed our best Hunger Awareness Day which was almost $130,000. We have no choice but to strive upwards even in these tough fundraising times to meet that need. We can reach our goal if every resident who can, gives a dollar or more!”

Like other food banks across the country, the Food Bank Coalition is working hard to keep up with an ever increasing need for emergency food. It has added new programs and direct sites to address the increase as well as the changing face of hunger.  Numbers released by Feeding America, the nation’s network of food banks, last year indicated that the most vulnerable group is children.

Unfortunately that statistic is mirrored locally as over 40 percent of the Food Bank’s clients are under the age of eighteen. The Lovin’ Lunchbox program will be launched this summer to address the decreased availability of nutritious meals when school is not in session. During the school year over 10,000 children in our county receive free and reduced lunch but during the summer that program ends. Dollars raised will help support this effort and much more.   

Because of the Food Bank Coalition’s extensive partnerships with produce growers and brokers, markets and wholesalers, and its relationship with Feeding America, the greatest contribution anyone can make is money. With our resources for free or low-cost food we can stretch a dollar into 10 pounds of food. The Hunger Awareness Day campaign gives almost everyone the chance to help. Even if a dollar is all you can donate, the Food Bank Coalition can transform that dollar into seven nutritious meals.

The Food Bank Coalition distributes food to over 200 non-profit partners to feed thousands of hungry people, and to support its own direct programs like Healthy Food for Local Families, Senior Brown Bag and Harvest Bag – all to help low-income residents get the food they need in San Luis Obispo County. The Food Bank Coalition will put close to six million pounds of nutritious food on local tables in 2011. Donors can mail checks to P.O. Box 2070, Paso Robles, Ca 93447, donate online at www.slofoodbank.org, drive through or walk in to any Rabobank branches in the county during the month of May through June 3rd, or drop by the Hunger Awareness Day site in your community on June 3rd.