Audra Aucoin at 949-653-2900
Second Harvest Food Bank’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Faces Unprecedented Demands-
Economic Conditions Turn Donors into Recipients
Irvine, CA-- When the US Postal Letter Carriers and the Second Harvest Food Bank volunteers team up May 9th for the 17th annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive in Orange County, there will be an unprecedented demand for the food that will be collected.
New data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey shows that one out of every four people in Orange County is at risk of going hungry at least once a month. The survey also shows that 30% of those at risk of hunger in Orange County are children. “What we are facing this year in terms of food needs is far beyond what we have ever seen before,” said Joe Schoeningh, Director of the Second Harvest Food Bank.
Requests for food assistance in Orange County are up 40% from the previous year with most of the new demands for food coming from families that have been recently unemployed, forced out of their homes from foreclosures, or facing pay reductions at their jobs. Seniors on fixed incomes and many families depending on a minimum wage earner are also among those needing food assistance.
Last year The Stamp Out Hunger food drive collected more than 530,000 pounds of food in Orange County. “This year we are asking for everyone to help us meet the growing need by donating food on Saturday, May 9th,” said Joe Schoeningh.
The Letter Carriers are asking that nonperishable goods be placed in bags by mailboxes on May 9th. The Letter Carriers will collect the food, and take it to the Second Harvest Food Bank warehouse in Irvine, where it will be redistributed to over 400 agencies around the county to help those in need.
To find out more about helping eliminate hunger in Orange County, please call (949) 653-2900 or visiting www.feedoc.org/
About Second Harvest Food Bank
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is dedicated to alleviating hunger, developing programs to increase awareness of the hunger problem and providing an opportunity for volunteerism and community involvement.
For 25 years, Second Harvest Food Bank has led the effort against hunger in Orange County, delivering more than 245 million pounds of donated and surplus food to Orange County’s needy. For every dollar donated to Second Harvest, $12 in food can be purchased to meet the need. This helps meet the food needs of the more than More than 456,000 people that face food insecurities each month, more than half of those are children.
Second Harvest Food Bank works with more than 400 agencies in Orange County alone to feed those that are need of food. For more information on all the programs at Second Harvest Food Bank, the agencies they partner with, or to find out more about volunteering or donations, visit www.feedoc.org.
