Four and a Half Million Pounds of Food Distributed to Needy

Dayton, June 24, 2010 - The Foodbank Keeps Pace During Difficult Economy - This year The Foodbank has fed more people, with more food, in its 34-year history and continues to make great strides in the fight against hunger. As the trend of the last three years continues, more area families are falling under the poverty line and are seeking assistance for basic needs such as food. In 2007 The Foodbank distributed 2.9 million pounds of food to the community. Since that time distribution has risen steadily at a rate of 54% to help feed hungry children and families.

With 4.5 million pounds of food going to the local network of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and Kids Café sites, The Foodbank maintains its position as the number one source of emergency food assistance in the Dayton metro area. As the primary distributor of food for the hungry, including food designated for the community from the United States Department of Agriculture, The Foodbank oversees the network of emergency and charitable feeding programs that serve people who are in need throughout Montgomery, Greene, and Preble counties. 85% of all charitable and emergency food distributed in this service area comes directly from The Foodbank.

One of the more poignant indicators of the hunger crisis can be seen in the number of students who now qualify for free or reduced price meals at school. Inner city, suburban and rural school districts are all reporting sharp increases in the number of students who are eligible. According to the recent report from the National Center for Educational Statistics, high poverty schools grew nationally from 12 percent in 2000 to 17 percent in 2009. Locally, 22 school districts have reported marked increases in free and reduced price meal programs. During the 2009-2010 school year, The Foodbank’s Good to Go BackPack program distributed more than 800 food-filled backpacks each week to local school children who were most at risk of going hungry over the weekend. That number is expected to grow for the upcoming school year.

Donations of food and funds from individual donors, corporations, organizations, foundations, as well as support from the Montgomery County Human Service levy and the United Way enable The Foodbank to continue to keep pace with the growing demand.

“With the support of this generous community The Foodbank has been able to provide adequate, nutritious food to the people who need it most; however the need for food is growing fast.” said Burma Thomas, CEO of The Foodbank. “The effects of poverty always lag unemployment. What this means is that our community will continue to experience economic hardship for the next several years, even if unemployment numbers fall.”

Officials from The Foodbank anticipate the current trends to continue. As the local economy remains unstable, more people are expected to turn to social service providers for additional support; many of them will seek emergency food assistance for the first time.