2008 Woodie Awards
Feeding homeless believed to be limited to holidays
Gina Delahunt
Issue date: 11/2/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
It is a common misconception that homeless people are more in need of help during the holidays.
In fact, homeless people are in need of assistance all year round. The volunteers and donators that give their time and money are the people that make a difference in homeless people's lives.
The St. Mary's Westside Food Bank Alliance (SMWFBA) distributes enough food for 200,000 meals every day.
Cindy Serf, Communications manager of SMWFBA said,
"The reason people think that there are more people in need during the holidays is because of the awareness. Arizona has the highest number of homeless people during the summer.
Since children are out of school, we take on extra feeding programs to accommodate."
Most students have an interest in helping but do not know how to assist.
"There are three different ways that you can help. You can donate your time by packing food in boxes and sorting through packages.
Money donations are also important. A dollar provides enough food for seven meals.
Canned food needed is protein items like rice, cannned stew, canned beef, tuna and peanut butter. The reason these are most needed is because they are most expensive," Serf said.
STWFBA is located in Phoenix, Glendale, Agua Fria and Surprise.
Every location provides emergency baskets for their clients in need. These baskets include a three day supply of food for a family.
The amount of food in the basket depends on how large the family is.
Amber Madison, Glendale Community College (GCC) student said, "I was actively involved in volunteering for the homeless for four years.
I enjoyed helping out because it was for a good cause and was also something I enjoyed doing. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I helped someone else. I felt like a good person."
Even though homeless people are receiving help year round from SMWFBA, providing the families with a holiday dinner is just as important.
"We like to make sure that every client of ours has a holiday meal, this is very important to us," Serf said.
There are other facilities that one can provide assistance to people in need as well.
GCC student Eric Aguiniga said, "The last four months, while working at JC Pennys, I have had ten dollars taken out of every check.
Even though it doesn't seem like much I feel like I am achieving something. It's important to help out the less fortunate."
In fact, homeless people are in need of assistance all year round. The volunteers and donators that give their time and money are the people that make a difference in homeless people's lives.
The St. Mary's Westside Food Bank Alliance (SMWFBA) distributes enough food for 200,000 meals every day.
Cindy Serf, Communications manager of SMWFBA said,
"The reason people think that there are more people in need during the holidays is because of the awareness. Arizona has the highest number of homeless people during the summer.
Since children are out of school, we take on extra feeding programs to accommodate."
Most students have an interest in helping but do not know how to assist.
"There are three different ways that you can help. You can donate your time by packing food in boxes and sorting through packages.
Money donations are also important. A dollar provides enough food for seven meals.
Canned food needed is protein items like rice, cannned stew, canned beef, tuna and peanut butter. The reason these are most needed is because they are most expensive," Serf said.
STWFBA is located in Phoenix, Glendale, Agua Fria and Surprise.
Every location provides emergency baskets for their clients in need. These baskets include a three day supply of food for a family.
The amount of food in the basket depends on how large the family is.
Amber Madison, Glendale Community College (GCC) student said, "I was actively involved in volunteering for the homeless for four years.
I enjoyed helping out because it was for a good cause and was also something I enjoyed doing. It gave me a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I helped someone else. I felt like a good person."
Even though homeless people are receiving help year round from SMWFBA, providing the families with a holiday dinner is just as important.
"We like to make sure that every client of ours has a holiday meal, this is very important to us," Serf said.
There are other facilities that one can provide assistance to people in need as well.
GCC student Eric Aguiniga said, "The last four months, while working at JC Pennys, I have had ten dollars taken out of every check.
Even though it doesn't seem like much I feel like I am achieving something. It's important to help out the less fortunate."