Help "Fill the Food Bank" - Click Here to Donate

Click here to read Andrew Schiff's event comments

Click here to comments from Kristen Allen of Connecting Children & Families

Watch NBC-10's coverage of the "Fill the Food Bank" Challenge

As continuing increases in food, fuel and energy costs devastate the budgets of thousands of low-income households; more and more families are forced to seek food assistance for the first time. The demand is up, while food donations slow and supply is down. But, help is on the way.

On August 4th, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, with help from sponsor Ocean State Job Lot, supporters Shaw’s Supermarkets, United Natural Foods and others, announced the “Fill the Food Bank” challenge which will run through August 25th.

The drive began with a strong showing of donor support from the food industry, led by Ocean State Job Lot. Truckloads of donated food from Job Lot, Shaw’s Supermarkets, United Natural Foods, AGAR and Thomsen Lincoln Food Service were unloaded and prepared for distribution to families in need. Additionally, Cirelli Foods and Autocrat signed on to make donations during the effort. In total, the drive generated more than 75,000 pounds on its first day.

“These challenging economic times have pushed thousands of families who were already struggling to make ends meet, over the edge,” stated Alan Perlman, Founder & Owner of Ocean State Job Lot. “With more people seeking help, we have an opportunity to make a real difference. Ocean State Job Lot is dedicated to alleviating hunger in our communities and I hope more and more businesses and food companies get involved with this drive and help feed local families.”

The “Fill the Food Bank” initiative challenges other food-related businesses to donate full or partial truckloads of food. In addition, the community can help by donating funds towards the purchase of food. The average cost to purchase one truckload of food is $20,000, but every dollar donated makes a difference. With each donated dollar the Food Bank can provide three healthy meals.

“Shaw’s Supermarkets is pleased to help launch the ‘Fill the Food Bank’ challenge. Summer is always a critical time for food banks, and even more so this summer. We are happy to donate this truckload of nutritious food, which will help feed Rhode Islanders during these difficult times,” stated Rick Tremblay, Community Marketing Manager for Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.

Also a key component of the day’s kick-off, Maria Cimini, the Food Stamp Outreach Coordinator for the URI Hunger Center, promoted and spoke about the benefits of enrolling in the Food Stamp Program. Thanks to successful outreach efforts, enrollment has been increasing over the past year.

Currently, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank is feeding tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders in need each month through a network of over 300 certified member agency programs. A USDA statistical study on food insecurity shows that over 17% of Rhode Island’s children, 1 out of every 6, are at risk of hunger. Additionally, 11.3% of Rhode Island households, representing 48,000 families, are not able to afford adequate food.