By LACEY PETERSON
The Union Democrat
Got Food?
Some people don't.
The Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency Food Bank in Jamestown is embarking on a campaign to fight hunger. The "Got Food?" challenge will include bumper-stickers, flyers, newspaper ads, brochures and signs, reminding Tuolumne County residents of the increasing need for food donations.
"For the first time, we're seeing people who've never asked for help in their lives," said Lee Kimball, director of the ATCAA Food Bank.
Because of decreased corporate donations, the food bank is seeking an increase in community donations.
In 2007, corporate farms and food manufacturers donated an average of 42,000 pounds of food each month. In January 2008, that number decreased to 32,000 pounds of food and the food bank is now only bringing in 19,000 pounds of food per month from corporate donations.
Times are getting tougher for everyone, and the Got Food? challenge keeps that in mind.
The campaign is seeking groups of 10 — be they from workplaces, schools, organizations, agencies — to commit to donating a pallet of food per year and each person donating an hour of service to the food bank.
If each person in a team of 10 sets aside, or donates $15 per month, that will buy a pallet of food, Kimball said.
"We have a goal of 100 pallets, but the authentic need is 200," she said.
From January to June of this year, the food bank has distributed nearly the same amount as distributed in the entire year in 2007. In 2007, ATCAA distributed 895,517 pounds of food. In the first half of 2008, they distributed 827,765 pounds of food, provided to 6,033 individuals, Kimball said.
The food bank is primarily a transportation and storage agency, and serves 93 food pantries in Amador, Tuolumne, Mariposa and Calaveras counties. Their diesel truck fuel costs have skyrocketed. Kimball will need to raise $26,000 more than usual for the end of 2008 and next year's fuel costs.
To keep up with the community need, Kimball said, they will have to increase the amount of food they purchase, which used to just be to supplement bags. The decrease in donated food, plus the increase in demand for food, means they must purchase 20,000 pounds of food per month — versus 10,000 per month before — just to keep up.
"I don't want to have to decide who eats and who doesn't," Kimball said.
According to America's Second Harvest, the country's largest hunger relief organization, 11.7 percent of Californians are "food insecure."
In Calaveras County, the demand for food has increased 65 percent, said Billie Westernoff, director of the HRC Food Bank in San Andreas. Rising transportation costs have forced them to do ride-shares for incoming food deliveries.
"We could use donations," Westernoff said.
The food bank also lost a $125,000 community block grant from Tuolumne County for 2009. Kimball will address the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to ask for additional reuse monies, she said.
They are also expecting an increase in demand once school starts, in the BackPack program, which gives kids bags of food they can prepare themselves (cereal, peanut butter) to take home in their backpacks.
The food bank will also host a Sept. 6 Walk For Hunger through downtown Sonora to raise awareness about hunger and local agencies will be present to give advice to interested parties.
The Got Food? challenge is one of three campaigns to garner food and volunteer donations in 2008. The Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign saw only 20 families signed up, though more have been dropping their fruits and vegetables off at the food bank, Kimball said.
The food budget in low income families is their discretionary income, Kimball said.
"Our goal is to supplement enough so they're not living in crisis," she said.
Contact Lacey Peterson at lpeterson@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4540.
