Food Drive 2012

Rock Church Superheroes Collect 28,237 Pounds of Food for the Food Bank

SAN DIEGO (June 1, 2012) – In San Diego County, today there are children straining to concentrate in school, struggling to ignore the aching in their bellies. Many adults are sacrificing meals to minimize the impact on their kids. There are seniors on fixed incomes, forced to choose between prescription drugs and groceries.

Members of the Rock Church are taking action to alleviate declining food donations experienced by the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank in the summer months. Donations of food have been collected every Sunday in the month of May for a collective total of 28,237 pounds of food which equates to 21,714 meals.

“The mission of the Rock Church is to spread pervasive hope. Food is a basic human need and sometimes hope begins with something as simple as a full stomach,” said Miles McPherson, Lead Pastor.

“Ironically, people often think about donating food when food is plentiful in our own lives – around the holidays. People don’t realize 230,000 low-income school children stop receiving free school meals in the summer, forcing families to turn to the Food Bank for help.”

Hunger - for many of us - is easy to ignore. There are no distended bellies or emaciated bodies that mark the startling “third world” images associated with starvation. While we certainly do not have widespread famine, make no mistake, the gnawing pain of hunger is prevalent here in San Diego County.

Approximately 500,000 county residents live at or near the Federal Poverty Level. Over 70% are children. These individuals and families face “food insecurity” which means that little or no food is available at home, and they often do not know where their next meal will come from.

Established in 1977, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank distributes food directly to families and individuals in need at over 150 distribution sites throughout the county. In addition, the Food Bank provides food to over 350 nonprofit organizations that operate feeding programs for individuals in need throughout our community. The Food Bank distributes over 20 million pounds of food annually to individuals, families and nonprofit organizations.