JEFF GORDON’S “DRIVE TO END HUNGER” CAR FINDS VICTORY LANE AT PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

Three days after his car visited St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance – and the “Drive to End Hunger” make a $10,000 donation to benefit Arizona’s hungry –  former NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon visited Victory Lane after a long absence.

Gordon snapped a 66-race drought and won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday. With this victory, Gordon ties NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough for fifth on the career wins list with 83.

Gee, wonder what changed his luck? =)

The NASCAR folks will be back in November for the second PIR race. In case you didn’t save the phone number Jeff, you can find us at www.firstfoodbank.org.

~Photo by Getty Images

THE VAN HENGEL CUP COMES HOME TO MOUNTAIN RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL

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Four-time National Student Food Drive champions from Mountain Ridge High School were awarded the engraved John Van Hengel Cup at their spring pep rally on Feb. 25. They will also enjoy a fund-raising event at a nearby Harkins Theatre this spring as part of their award.

Next year’s national student food drive promises to be bigger and better than ever! Teachers and student leaders are asked to call Chet Provorse (343-3169) or Elizabeth Wunsch (343-3159) if you wish to join in all the fun while helping Arizona’s hungry next fall. In the meantime … all hail the champs!

SUPER DUPER CITRUS SATURDAY SNAGS ANOTHER 16,000 POUNDS OF ORANGES AND GRAPEFRUITS ON FEB. 26

The Super Citrus Saturday sequel collected 16,000 pounds of citrus at three locations around the Valley, bringing the total for the two Super Citrus events to more than 77,000 pounds this year. That will help us reach our goal of collecting more than 2 million pounds of citrus during this season.

The citrus will not only help fill emergency food boxes at St. Mary’s Food Bank, but will be shared with other food banks in eight Western states. In turn those food banks share bounties of fresh produce in their areas so all the hungry can enjoyed a balanced variety of fresh food.

Thank you to everyone who donated, and to our volunteers who manned the drop-off centers. If you couldn’t make it out, there is still time to deliver your surplus citrus to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance locations in Phoenix (2831 N. 31^st Avenue) and Surprise (13050 W. Elm Street). We will accept fresh fruit until the end of March.

FLAGSTAFF SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONTINUES SUPPORT OF ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK

Music feeds the soul. Local food banks feed the body.

The Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra proudly joins hundreds of orchestras across the States in the month of March to help recognize and fight hunger. Two years ago the U. S. Department of Agriculture reported that more than 50 million Americans—including more than 17 million children—lack consistent access to a nutritious, well balanced diet.

For our March 11 concert, the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra proudly partners once again with the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. to help collect funds that buy the meals to feed the hungry. St. Mary’s is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization and the world’s first food bank. Keeping pace with the incredible upturn in need that has followed the poor economic climate and the huge rise in unemployment and underemployment, the Food Bank distributed more than 72 million pounds of food in 2009-10 to meets the needs of the ever-rising number of Arizona’s hungry.

You’ll see St. Mary’s volunteers in our lobby during our March 11 concert. For every donation of $5 or more, you’ll receive a voucher for a ticket to any FSO concert in our upcoming season. If music is indeed the food of love, as Shakespeare offered, your donation on Friday, March 11 gives you music and gives someone hungry the chance to eat.

For more information, please check out http://www.flagstaffsymphony.org

Have Any More Citrus? We’ll Take It ALL on Super DUPER Citrus Saturday!

Super Citrus Saturday on Jan. 22  was such a huge success – more than 61,000 pounds of donated fruit was collected for Arizona’s hungry – that St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is doing it all over again.

Bring your oranges and grapefruits, to one of the three participating locations – North Phoenix Baptist Church in the Central Corridor, Shepherd of the Hills United Church of Christ in Arcadia and St. Mary’s Food Bank’s Surprise location (13050 W. Elm Street in Surprise) – between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 26, and take part in St. Mary’s fight against hunger.

The majority of the citrus will go into the 30,000 Emergency Food Boxes that St. Mary’s distributes every month, and the rest will be sent to eight other states where St. Mary’s will receive some of their produce in return.

It’s late February. That citrus on your tree will be in trouble soon. Ruin a roof rat’s day and help feed your neighbors at the same time.

Jeff Gordon and the Drive To End Hunger at St Mary’s Food Bank!

Drive to End Hunger — AARP February 24, 2011 Jeff Gorgon No. 24 Car at St. Mary’s!

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The car is at 3003 W. Thomas Rd. (University of Phoenix Building) until 12PM today!! Stop by and bring a can or two! 🙂

THE SAD TRUTH ABOUT CHILDHOOD HUNGER IN ARIZONA:

1 IN 4 GOES TO BED HUNGRY

Are you interested in volunteering to make a difference in alleviating that hunger?

St Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, Westside location,  Kids Cafe Program provides over 2,000 daily cold meals to children in the West Valley and South and Central Valley. We need volunteers to work at least once a week, Monday – Thursday, 8:00am – 10:00am or 6:00am – 8:30am throughout the year helping to fill small bags with food items or pack delivery boxes.

If you are interested, please contact Jan Wells by telephone: 602 343-5637 or by e-mail jkwells@firstfoodbank.org.  Thank You. No Child Should Go The Bed Hungry!

ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE & THE PAMPERED CHEF® PARTNER FOR HUNGER RELIEF

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Phoenix, AZ (February 22, 2010) — The struggle to put dinner on the table is a reality for an estimated 37 million Americans today. This growing epidemic affects 14 million children, who live in homes where their chance of getting nutritionally adequate and safe foods is uncertain due to a lack of money and other resources, according to the US Census Bureau.1
St. Mary’s Food Bank and The Pampered Chef are working together to fight hunger in Arizona. Judy Kittoe, local Independent Pampered Chef Consultant, presented a check for $5,885.19 equaling 41, 195 meals to St. Mary’s Food Bank. These funds represent a portion of the 10 million pounds of food donated by The Pampered Chef’s Round-Up from the Heart® charitable giving campaign that raises funds for Feeding America®.

“The funds donated through the year-long Round-Up from the Heart campaign help Feeding America’s network of food banks obtain and distribute food and grocery products to local communities and individuals in need,” said Vicki Escarra, chief executive officer of Feeding America. “Every donation, no matter the size, adds up to help feed millions through this program.”

Every Dollar Helps
Since 1991, Pampered Chef Independent Consultants and customers have raised more than $16 million dollars to fight America’s growing hunger problem through the Round-Up from the Heart campaign.

“The goal of Round-Up from the Heart is to make certain that every person has a place at the table,” said Marla Gottschalk, chief executive officer of The Pampered Chef. “With the affects of the current economy still being felt across the nation, we want to do our part to provide families with affordable meal options. In addition to offering budget-conscious recipes and products for family mealtime solutions, our Round-Up from the Heart program helps make sure there is food available to those who need it.”

Two Ways to Get Involved
Throughout the year, Pampered Chef Independent Consultants give people the opportunity to help end hunger in America through the company’s annual Round-Up from the Heart campaign. To contribute to the campaign, customers can:

-Give a Gift With Heart. The Pampered Chef will donate $2 to Feeding America for every limited-edition trivet purchased. The beautiful heart-shaped copper trivet is perfect for gift-giving as well as decorating or protecting countertop surfaces. The $2 donation provides a child with two-weeks worth of lunches.

-Round-Up to Give Back. Whether it’s a few cents or several dollars, all contributions add up when $1 equals nine pounds of food or seven meals. When placing an order, all customers have an opportunity to round-up their order to the nearest dollar or more. These donations are designated to benefit the nearest Feeding America food bank.
To learn more about the Round-Up from the Heart campaign, find a Consultant in your area or schedule a Cooking Show, contact Judy Kittoe at 602-867-4675 or visit:
www.pamperedchef.biz/judykittoe.

About The Pampered Chef
The Pampered Chef is the premier direct seller of high quality kitchen tools and part of Berkshire Hathaway. At in-home Cooking Shows, guests see and try products, prepare and sample recipes, and learn quick and easy food preparation techniques and tips on how to entertain with style and ease — transforming the simple to the spectacular. For more information call 1-800-266-5562 or visit www.pamperedchef.com. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ThePamperedChef.

About Feeding America
Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.
The Pampered Chef, Round-Up from the Heart and Feeding America are registered trademarks.

Gear Up for This Weekend’s NASCAR Event by Helping the Drive to End Hunger

For all you lucky NASCAR fans who are already excited for the race on February 27^th at the Phoenix International Raceway, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and the AARP Foundation are giving you something else to get excited about: on Thursday, February 24^th from 9am-noon, Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 racecar will be on display at St. Mary’s University of Phoenix Programs Center (3003 West Thomas).

By coming to our site and bringing a non-perishable food item, you will be helping St. Mary’s and AARP in the Drive to End Hunger: a food drive aimed at helping the nearly six million Americans over the age of 60 who are currently facing the threat of hunger. AARP is showing their tremendous support to St. Mary’s by presenting us with a $10,000 check on this day, as well.

Take this rare opportunity to view Jeff Gordon’s car up-close and help the hungry in your community.

For more information about the Drive to End Hunger go to www.drivetoendhunger.org.