Food Bank launches food drive to fill pantries' shelves

EAST COUNTY — Before she leaves for her weekly trip to a local food pantry, Lynda Young takes last-minute requests from her children, Derick, Veronica and Brianna.

They ask her to bring home Fruit Loops.

From 9 to 11 a.m., each Friday, Woodland, The Community Church opens the doors to its food pantry and welcomes Young and other families who count on receiving food items stored in a closet-sized room located on the second floor of the church.

“The pantry is really helping people who need food and who can’t afford a lot right now,” Young said.
The food comes to the pantry, and others like it, from The Food Bank of Manatee.

From June 1 through June 30, The Food Bank will work to collect monetary and food donations to fill pantries countywide through its annual Grand Challenge.

Organizer hope to collect 110,000 pounds of food, overall.

To boost food supplies from June to August, The Food Bank of Manatee, with the support of Manatee County and the Manatee County School District, launched the White Out Hunger Grand Challenge earlier this year to help feed students during the summer.

“We’re trying to avoid a food shortage at Food Bank by being proactive and getting ahead of the increased summer needs,” said Jill McGarry, marketing manager of Meals on Wheels PLUS, the organization that runs The Food Bank.

Since its inception in 2012, the Grand Challenge has been held in September to help pantries recuperate from the high volume of visitors in the summer, when families who normally utilize free and reduced-cost lunches at schools have a greater need.

Volunteers and food recipients said September was too late to start ramping up donations. Some pantries in Manatee County operated with 10% of the amount of food they normally had last summer, McGarry said.

“Having 10% or less on the shelves is what we call crisis level,” McGarry said. “(In the past), we had to approach United Way for help.”

The Food Bank provides boxes so volunteers can collect nonperishable food, diapers and other items from neighbors and co-workers.

Participants can pick up boxes for donations at Meals on Wheels PLUS, 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton.
Organizers hope each participant can collect $1,000 or 1,000 pounds of food.

Although the Woodland pantry held enough food to feed 60 families May 23, Young still worries about the scarcity of food in upcoming months. Woodland’s food pantry director says she’s lucky to feed 20 families over the summer because the one pallet of nonperishable foods the pantry receives at that time isn’t enough.

“The food just goes fast,” she said.

McGarry said she hopes the Grand Challenge will provide enough food to feed all 60 families this summer.

For more information on how to donate or help, call 747-4655 or visit foodbankofmanatee.org.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected].

WAYS TO HELP
The Food Bank of Manatee’s White Out Hunger Grand Challenge campaign asks for the monetary or food donations of nonperishable foods, diapers and baby foods. Individuals may drop off items to the Meals on Wheels PLUS warehouse, located at 1816 Ninth St. W., Bradenton, or to any donation bin.

The Food Bank will host a White Out Hunger Party fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. June 5, at a private residence. Tickets can be purchased for $50 at foodbankofmanatee.org.

BY THE NUMBERS
50 - The number of individuals who frequent the food pantry at Woodland, The Community Church.

750 - The number of hot meals delivered to families per day.

1,000 - The number of dollars and pounds the 2014 Grand Challenge asks participants to collect.