Capital Area Food bank
’Tis The Season b y J ohn T u r ne r
S
hoppers aren’t the only ones feeling the squeeze of rising food prices. Here at the food bank, we rely on public and private partnerships to ensure that 48,000 Central Texans are nourished every week. For the past three years, we’ve been working at full warehouse operational capacity—distributing, on average, two million pounds of food every month. This year, while the need remains the same, we’ve taken three big hits to our food sources, and our shelves have recently become 75 percent empty. First, in the summer—usually our busiest time of the year, which always reduces our inventory—our largest single supply of food, from the USDA commodities program, was down 35 percent. Second, the worldwide demand for food has increased and the drought and severe weather elsewhere have reduced the supply of food. (Consequently, as the cost of food continues to increase, our dollars don’t go as far—just like your pocketbook at home.) And third, the large quantities of food we’ve traditionally received directly from producers and manufacturers or rescued from retailers have also been reduced because of a tightening in the business climate. These factors have combined to create a perfect storm of continued high need, yet less food to distribute to hungry Central Texas families. We’re trying to fill the shelves by purchasing more food and relying on food drives and donations, but it’s a big hole to fill. The good news is that we see some help coming over the horizon. The USDA is purchasing more food that will become available to the foodbank network over the coming months. We’ve had some success unearthing new food suppliers and we’ll continue to work hard developing new food-sourcing partnerships. And while our struggling economy means that some people are less able to give, many in the Central Texas community always generously step up during the upcoming season of goodwill with food and funds. From all of us at the Capital Area Food Bank, thank you for your support. Know that every dollar or can of food donated helps, and your gift will help fill our shelves and put food on tables. ’Tis the season to help, and together we can turn hungry holidays into happy holidays. o find out more about the Capital Area Food Bank and how you can T help, visit austinfoodbank.org
EDIBLEAUSTIN.COM
WINTER 2012
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