June 5 is National Hunger Awareness Day   National Hunger Awareness Day recognizes more than 35 million Americans across the nation who is living on the brink of hunger.  Food banks, pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters will participate in events to strengthen awareness of hunger in our country.  Locally, Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel proclaimed June 6, 2006 as National Hunger Awareness Day for Evansville, Indiana.    Here locally, more people than you may realize depend on food assistance. Tri-State Food Bank provided food to 284 feeding programs in the tri-state that help low income individuals.  Through our network of agencies, each month, an average of 113,627 people received food from the food pantries and an additional 127,800 receive meals through soup kitchens, shelters, and other on-site feeding programs. They may be your neighbors struggling through a crisis, too proud and embarrassed to let you know they need help.  Many are single parent female head of household, with children under age 5.   Mothers or fathers may come in, requesting food because they have no food at home for their children; paychecks simply did not cover their basic needs.   Right here in the tri-state, 104,223 live at or below poverty.  This does not account for the many that are living on the periphery.    Almost half of the people requesting food are in households with children under age 18. Food recipients are:  primarily female (80%), married (51%), high school graduates (55%), living in rural and suburban areas (64%), and between the ages of 30 and 49 (42%). Most received either social security (SSA) or social security disability (SSDI) (68%). Only 2.6% reported having no income. In 33% of the households at least one adult was employed.   Of the 44% of clients that reported receiving Food Stamps, they stated the benefits run out in within 2 weeks. Tri-State Food Bank, pantries and other feeding agencies in our network must fill this gap. It is not a matter of an inadequate food supply in our country, but that too many to not have adequate income to purchase food and still pay for housing, medical care, and the ever increasing fuel    The needs of our clients are year-round, not just the holidays.  Contact the Tri-State Food Bank at 425-0775, or visit 801 E. Michigan St, Evansville, IN to learn more about hunger issues in the tri-state.   Mary Blair, Executive Director Tri-State Food Bank, Inc.

Tri-State Food Bank, Evansville, IN Wins Leadership Award Leadership Evansville presented the Project Award In Health & Social Service to Tri-State Food Bank’s Backpack Food for Kids Program at a its 12th Annual Celebration of Leadership Thursday, April 19, 2007.  “Winning this award is really special because it reinforces that our organization’s programs are working for the community and really makes a difference”, said   Mary Blair, Director of the Food Bank.  “The success of our Back Pack – Food for Kids program is attributed to John Hillenbrand, Assistant Director and Youth Programs Coordinator.  John worked very hard to raise funds, recruit distribution sites, and create measures to assure accountability and efficiency.” The program provides 6 meals and 2 snacks each week to children at risk of hunger.  Nutritional value is our key focus.  All food for this program is selected by our certified food handler. Pop-top cans are used eliminating the need for can openers.  Non-perishable foods are used including UHT Milk and 100% fruit juice.  Tri-State Food Bank began our Back Pack program last April distributing 10 backpacks through a local agency.  We now have 10 distribution sites handing out approximately 350 to 400 backpacks each week.  We are in the discussion stage with several agencies to expand the program into some of our rural counties.  In 2005, 11,062 (over 50%) of school children in Vanderburgh County participated in the Free & Reduced Lunch Program.   Our goal is to seek new sites and funding enabling us to increase the program throughout our 33-county service area, concentrating on school districts in low-income areas.