St. Mary’s Food Bank Seeks Donations to Meet Holiday Demand

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance Seeks 6,000 Turkeys to Meet Unprecedented Demand In Arizona For Holiday Food Assistance

Phoenix, AZ – With the realities continuing to outdistance even the bleakest of projections, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is bracing for another record-breaking week of holiday food box distribution and is asking the public for help.

After distributing over 13,000 Holiday Food Boxes and feeding over 59,000 people in just the four days leading up to Thanksgiving, the Food Bank has been forced to dip into warehouse items normally expected to meet demand for the first three months of 2010.

With the number of families arriving for assistance projected to meet or even exceed those served during Thanksgiving, the food bank needs about 6,000 turkeys and a similar number of other non-perishable holiday food items to make sure every family enjoys the uplifting joy of a family holiday meal.

“We knew we would see an increase in demand for our services this season, but the realities have exceeded all projections” said Terry Shannon, President and CEO of St. Mary’s Food Bank. “But after delivering an all-time record of 44,000 Emergency and Holiday Food Boxes in November, meeting those same demands in December are going to seriously tax the Food Bank’s current reserves. Without a matching increase in donations from the public, our ability to serve all those who are seeking food will be compromised.”

For information on how to donate, call 602-242-FOOD or visit www.firstfoodbank.org.

Published on behalf of St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance
St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, the world’s first food bank, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to 534 agencies that serve the hungry.  Serving 13 of Arizona’s 15 counties, the organization is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, and is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. Last year, the Food Bank distributed more than 67 million pounds of food to families and individuals, provided enough food for 300,000 meals every day, and garnered more than 370,000 volunteer service hours.

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