2012 “Bag-A-Thon” Exceeds Goal: 70,000 Pounds of Food Collected for the ICS Food Bank
by Hot Off The Press (Release) on Nov. 09, 2012, under Press ReleasesFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Thursday, November 8, 2012
(TUCSON, AZ)–The 6th annual community-wide “Bag-A-Thon” food drive, sponsored by Edward Jones, wrapped up on Saturday, November 3 with a grand total of 70,000 pounds of food collected for the Interfaith Community Services Food Bank.
The month-long Bag-A-Thon is ICS’s single largest food collection event of the year, but this year it exceeded all expectations. The final total resulted from the hard work of 21 Edward Jones offices, 19 schools, several Cub Scouts and American Heritage Girls troops, Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona, local businesses, the Town of Oro Valley, and the community-at-large. With this year’s total, the Bag-A-Thon has raised over 155,000 pounds of food for the ICS Food Bank since 2007.
Ken Blanchard, a financial advisor for Edward Jones and the event’s founder, set the 2012 goal at 50,000 pounds.
“When we started the Bag-A-Thon six years ago, 2,000 pounds was a real achievement,” Blanchard said. “Each year we look for ways to involve more of the community, because the problem of hunger requires a community solution. I’m particularly impressed by the response from the schools and scouts this year; the kids were a huge part of this great achievement. The community really came together; 70,000 pounds of food will help a lot of families,” he continued.
In October 2012 the ICS Food Bank assisted nearly 2,000 households with emergency food boxes and supplemental items. Bonnie Kampa, Executive Director at ICS, remarked, “Since we opened our expanded Food Bank a year ago, the number of people turning to ICS for food assistance has nearly doubled. The donations collected during the Bag-A-Thon will help many households who struggle to put food on the table.” Last fiscal year the ICS Food Bank served over 18,000 individuals.
With the holidays approaching, the number of people turning to the ICS Food Bank is expected to continue to increase. The food collected from the Bag-A-Thon will help ICS with its annual Thanksgiving food bag program, which provides food bank clients with the fixings for a complete holiday meal. ICS will distribute these bags November 13 through November 30 and still needs donations of frozen turkeys, hams, and chickens to be able to include a protein item with each bag. Cash donations are also accepted and qualify for the Arizona Charitable Tax Credit.
About ICS: Interfaith Community Services provides food, emergency financial assistance, and job searching help to Pima County residents in need and mobilizes volunteers to assist seniors and disabled people with Mobile Meals, transportation, home repairs, calls and visits, and health and safety referrals and advocacy. ICS offers compassionate support by connecting over 600 volunteers and 69 faith communities with our community’s most vulnerable residents.From nutritious food to health evaluations to a ride to the
doctor’s office, ICS assists over 25,000 people a year.
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Interfaith Community Services
2820W. Ina Road, Tucson, AZ
85741-2502
Contact: Alison Betts 520.297.2738 ext. 229 or abetts@icstucson.org
