$1 buys 10 pounds of food for the Foodbanks, donate today for Hunger Awareness Day

Posted: Jun 3, 2010 9:00 AM by Bethany Tucker
Updated: Jun 3, 2010 9:00 AM

We have a challenge for you. It's easy but it will make a big difference. Dig around in your purse, wallet, car or even your couch cushions. Thursday is Hunger Awareness Day on the Central Coast and we're asking everyone to done $1 to the Food banks of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, so they can feed the thousands of locals who could use your help.

"What people here don't realize, is in the midst of all this beauty and wealth there are 40,000 people chronically or occasionally wondering where their next meal is going to come from," said Cathy Enns, Director of Community Relations for the Foodbank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County.

Hunger is a problem that's only growing here at home. "It's about one in seven of us, about 15 percent of our population," said Enns.

Each week, people like Gail Ruda line up to get their groceries from the food bank distribution centers like the one she goes to in Cayucos every Wednesday. They're everyday, nutritious staples like lettuce, bread, margarine, peppers and chicken that many of us take for granted but some can't afford.

Ruda says she was forced into retirement because of injuries a few years ago, and she's living on a fixed income. "When you're surprised by little bills and you're not prepared for them because you can not save any longer, you have no way. There's no back up for you," said Ruda. "So you have to do what you have to do, and that means taking it out of the food."

"It is very difficult to provide for yourself when food is the last thing you cover out of your bills during the month," said Enns. "But it's even more difficult to provide good food for yourself. Unfortunately the food that is low-cost isn't the best for you."

That's how Hunger Awareness Day can make a difference. With the power of wholesale buying, the foodbanks can buy 10 pounds of food with each dollar donated on Thursday. "So you can see if you donate a dollar, your friends donate a dollar, your colleagues at work donate a dollar, all of the sudden we can bring in a lot of food," said Enns.

It only takes $1, but of course the foodbank accepts as much as you can give.
To donate online, click here or go to the Hunger Awareness Day banner at the top of our home page.
You can call 805-238-4664 to donate via telephone.
Or, you can text message "FEEDUS" to 20222 to make a $10 donation.