Midwest Food Banks trying make people aware of hunger, poverty issues

from the Bloomington Pantagraph

By Sharon K. Wolfe

BLOOMINGTON — Midwest Food Bank wants more people to know the scope of hunger and poverty close to home and hopes to use the first Hunger Awareness Week to bring attention to the problem.

The week, observed Monday through April 19, will include food bank tours, donations, a prayer breakfast and volunteer appreciation night.

Some 10,000 to 20,000 people in McLean County live in extreme poverty (defined as half or less of the federal poverty level of $20,650 annually for a family of four), but those numbers from the Illinois Report on Poverty tell only part of the story, said Jessica Junis, the food bank’s communications manager.

Nonprofit agencies getting food from Midwest Food Bank, 1703 S. Veterans Parkway, are running out of food. More and more people need food who never did before, including two-income families.

“They make too much money to qualify for any kind of public assistance,” Junis said.

Last week, Midwest Food Bank distributed more than 20,000 cases of food to more than 235 nonprofit agencies, including more than 100 nonprofits in McLean County, said Steve McCane, director of operations.

The food bank gives out more than $1 million in food each month to more than 500 nonprofit organizations across the Midwest, providing food to more than 100,000 people.

Awareness week activities include:

-- Food bank tours at 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday.

-- 10 percent donation of proceeds from meals eaten at CJ’s Restaurant, 2901 E. Empire St., on Wednesday and Redfire Grille, 1605 Morrissey Drive, on Thursday.

-- A community leader prayer breakfast on Friday.

-- And a volunteer appreciation night at 7 p.m. April 19 at the food bank for past, present and future donors.

The food bank welcomes volunteers and donations, especially in light of soaring fuel costs. Food bank semitrailer trucks logged 400,000 miles in 2007.

“We pick up 99 percent of our loads,” said McCane, adding hundreds of volunteers make the massive food distribution possible since there only are three paid staff numbers. Drivers of four semitrailer trucks travel all over the country to get food from manufacturers and distributors.