Food bank clears one hurdle
But season may be rough if donations don't pick up
But the days ahead are still looking lean if holiday donations do not pick up soon, Utah Food Bank Director Jim Pugh said.
"We are by no means out of the woods, but we are a lot better off than we were on Saturday," Pugh said.
Last weekend's annual "Help Your Neighbor Day" food drive brought in only about 8 percent of the food usually collected on the bank's banner day for donations.
But Pugh said donations surged this week as residents heard of the shortage and infused the Food Bank with 400,000 pounds of food.
Smith's Food & Drug stores also dropped of a 40,000-pound donation Wednesday along with 280 turkeys purchased by customers for the Food Bank.
The donations, however, are still short of the 500,000 pounds of food collected by the same time last year and a fraction of the 1.5 million pounds the bank hopes to gather by Jan. 1.
"For every pound we're down from that goal is a meal someone won't eat," Pugh said. "Absolutely that could mean crisis for people."
The Food Bank also met its 14,000 turkeys goal this year and hopes to gather another 4,000 before Christmas.
"People have just stepped up and helped us out," Pugh said. "Everyone who went to a pantry in need of food got it for Thanksgiving."
At the Salt Lake Mission, volunteers served nearly 1,500 meals Thursday as needy families and homeless men and women were bused to the mission from around the Salt Lake Valley.
Philip Arena, director of development for the mission, said there was more than enough food Thursday, thanks to donations from the Utah Food Bank and private companies. The mission also served 200 turkeys throughout the day.
"Usually every year the Food Bank is short, but they always come through," he said. "Some people say thank you, some people don't say anything. But we know."
Arena also said the leftovers from Thursday's meal will be served in Pioneer Park Friday or will be stockpiled for Christmas and New Year's Eve dinners.
With the Thanksgiving demand out of the way, Pugh said the Food Bank now must focus on beefing up its resources to get through Christmas and put some food aside to last through February.
"We're totally within reach," Pugh said. "It's finding a few people who are willing to go the extra mile and help us get to where we need to be."
The Utah Food Bank receives about 115,000 requests for food a month, with 40,000 of those for children. One of the biggest misconceptions, Pugh said, is that the requests are just for the homeless. The bulk of the food actually goes to families who need help to get back on their feet, he said.
"They're struggling to make it by from week to week, and they have to decide between paying rent and putting food on the table," he said. "We hope when they have this crisis, the food bank can be there to help them get through it."
If the Food Bank's donations don't at least catch up to last year's numbers, Pugh said, families will receive fewer meals, although no one will be turned away entirely.
The Food Bank and the Community Services Council will sponsor another food drive Dec. 11 and will send out donation bags in newspapers. Jean Nielsen, council director, said just filling one bag will make a difference in meeting this year's food goal.
"I always like the car that drives up with a sack and a turkey. That's all we're asking," she said. "We have every belief that we'll do fine this year, because we have a caring-giving community"
E-mail: estewart@desnews.com
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