The following is a news release from the South Plains Food Bank:
The South Plains Food Bank is gearing up for its ninth annual Summer of Sharing Food Drive. Local business partners and community members are joining in the fight against hunger to make sure no one goes without food this summer.
During a time when donations are low but the need for food is high, the SOS food drive provides an opportunity for the community to assist the food bank in its most desperate time of need. Nearly 30,000 children across the South Plains suffer from the pain of hunger. Once school is out, all of those children will lose their guaranteed meals through the free and reduced lunch program.
Macy Lopez, Marketing and Communications Manager for the SPFB says it’s a crucial time for the community to get involved. “We really see a spike in donations during the holiday season and into the early winter months, but once summer time gets closer, there is a significant drop in donations, and it’s actually one of the busiest times for the food bank,” Lopez said. “Parents now have their kids at home full-time and are having to feed them three meals a day, when it was already a struggle to guarantee one meal.”
Partners like Plains Capital Bank, Lowe’s Supermarkets, Food King, West Texas Chevy Dealers, Covenant and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are the biggest reasons the Summer of Sharing Food Drive has been so successful in the past. Their support and their individual events during the drive allow for the community to easily get involved and make a difference in so many lives this summer.
“Our partners are really the driving force behind this food drive,” said David Weaver, CEO of the South Plains Food Bank. “Without them, we would have to find a way to make it through some of the hardest months of the year on our own.”
A timeline of events will be available via South Plains Food Bank’s social media pages and website.
About the South Plains Food Bank
Food banking solves two problems … hunger and waste. The South Plains Food Bank, Inc. is a humanitarian resource responsible for securing, growing, processing, and distributing food to charitable organizations and persons in need. South Plains Food Bank, Inc. also strives to provide opportunities for persons to break out of the poverty cycle. The South Plains Food Bank is committed to alleviating hunger and giving hope to the hungry. We touch 1 in 8 people across the South Plains and serve over 57,000 people each year. The South Plains Food Bank also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve through our Kids Cafe program, Mobile Pantry program, and GRUB, Growing Recruits for Urban Business, program. Our vision is to see a hunger-free community. Visit www.spfb.org for more information or find us on Facebook and Instagram, or follow us on Twitter.
(News release from the South Plains Food Bank)