When the school year ends, food shortages begin. Students and families that rely on low-cost or free lunch programs are on their own for the summer.
Tens of thousands of people in our area face food shortages and during COVID-19, that need has grown. KOAA5 is working with Care and Share Food Bank to help bridge the summer food gap with the Fill The Fridge donation drive.
Donations now: Fill the Fridge
Today, KOAA5 and Care and Share are conducting a day-long donation drive. We hope you will participate by making a donation, or if you prefer, you can drop off non-perishable food donations at the Care and Share Food Bank facility at 2605 Preamble Point in Colorado Springs.
The drive will focus on donations because the money given goes a long way. In fact, $1 in donations buys as many as six meals. Your donation will help by focusing on buying healthy foods with a focus on fruits, vegetables, and non-perishable items.
After our telethon on Thursday, the donations we received came to a total of $15,026, which will be enough to buy 90,156 meals.
Donations can also be made here: Fill the Fridge
In the early days, Care & Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado distributed food baskets throughout Colorado Springs. Now, they provide millions of pounds of food throughout 31 southern Colorado counties.
According to Feeding America, in 2019 food insecurity was at its lowest point in more than 20 years. The organization partners with 200 food banks across the nation while working with manufacturers to donate truckloads of food, which local organizations then pay for to be processed and distributed locally.
An encouraging sign that more Americans were gaining consistent access to food, but then the pandemic hit creating an economic recession that ended years of declining rates of food insecurity.
Feeding America projects in 2021:
- El Paso County: 1 in 8 adults, 1 in 6 kids will go hungry
- Pueblo County: 1 in 6 adults, 1 in 4 kids will go hungry
We hope you will participate in our donation drive, and together, we’ll knock out hunger this summer!
Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado
2605 Preamble Point
Colorado Springs, CO 80195
