Gainesville’s Bread of the Mighty food bank and four other charities are gearing up for this weekend—when the U-S Post Office will help with a food drive.
Food bank director Anne Voyles says non-perishable food left at your mail box Saturday morning will be picked up by the carrier for distribution to those who are hungry. Last year it brought in about 17-thousand pounds of food.
Voyles says heading into this time of year is when she worries the most about what Bread of the Mighty can do. Many college students—who often volunteer—are gone, so there are fewer helpers. And she says when young children are out of school for the summer, they miss the daily breakfast and lunch they can get at school, although the schools do offer a summertime program.
Compounding issues in recent weeks is the higher price for fuel, especially diesel. She says that makes it more expensive to truck food to the multi county region they serve. And with so much fresh produce coming in, those trips are having to increase to get it to where its needed before it spoils. As a result she says in addition to the food donations the community helps with, there is also a need now for cash to cover other expenses.
For more information on the weekend food drive, link to www.helpstampouthunger.com