William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-06-01 / 6. szám
Food Drive 2008 : Phase One The National Officers and Home Office staff with the 1,300 pounds of food donated through the first phase of our food drive. Board, Officers and employees respond to call to aid Food Bank by Endre Csornán National Vice President-Fraternal This past March, it was called to our attention by Dianne Charles, wife of National President George S. Charles Jr., that food supplies at Pittsburgh area food banks were rapidly being depleted. This was because thousands of people in Allegheny County live in below-proverty situations because of low incomes or lack of employment. Nearly 10 percent of Pennsylvania households experience food insecurity and almost three percent experience outright hunger. The Board of Directors of the WPA responded to the need and raised among its own members more than $700. Our Home Office employees, officers, branch members and local Hungarian Reformed Churches also donated money or boxes of food items. The first phase of the food drive was very successful. When the donated food was picked up by the local food bank at the Home Office, the truck driver remarked: "This is one of the largest pick-ups in a long time." The Association is grateful for all who took part in the food drive, and we are working on the second phase. After 122 years of untiring service, we still feel the warmth of that honest and sincere grip when the founders of our society grasped each other's hand to face life with a united strength to help and promote the welfare of our members and others in the community. I-------------------------------------------------------Dear Friends, On behalf of the seniors, children and the hard working families who are able to access nutritious foods each day because of your support, I want to thank you for the 1,300 pounds of food collected through your food drive. While the Food Bank works to raise friends and funds to allow us to continue our important work, donations of food items are, and always have been, integral to our efforts to make food assistance services accessible to all people in need. Many of the member agencies we support with food items to distribute to those in need are run by volunteers, and operate on small budgets. Food raised through drives like this one help Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank distribute more grocery items to more agencies across our service region, ultimately helping more people to access food assistance. We often remind ourselves, and our supporters, to think of how life might be for the many thousands of people living in poverty, and those living on the edge of poverty, in southwestern Pennsylvania. No one who uses any of the 380 pantries, soup kitchens and shelters we support want to feed themselves and their families this way, but we will be there when they need us. We are grateful for the contributions of organizations like William Penn Association, and, in fact, could not accomplish all that we do without this support. Thank you for your commitment to helping those in need. Sincerely, Patty Van Dillen, Special Event & Food Drive Coordinator Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank 7 William Penn Life,June 2008 /
