September 1, 2010 is Lunch Money Day

Nobody in our community should ever go hungry; especially when every $10 donated can provide 20 fresh and nutritious meals for someone in need. You can help us provide life-changing food support for local families simply by donating the equivalent of your lunch money for a day. For many, spending an average of $5 - $10 a day on lunch is not unusual, or a strain on their finances. We support many of whom providing a simple, healthy meal for themselves and their families is an everyday challenge. Brown bag it and donate to make a difference!

Stuff the Bus 2010

Community Storehouse will host the second annual Stuff the Bus event on August 20 & 21 at Wal-Mart in Martinsville. Volunteers will be setup at the entrances to collect school supplies and food to benefit needy children in Martinsville & Henry County. This event is the kickoff for the agency's Food for Kids: School Backpack Program, which plans to serve 1,000 students this year. Stop by Wal-Mart between 9am and 6pm & help us STUFF THE BUS!

This year's Food for Kids thank you

The loyal support of our Backpack Buddies combined with the generosity of Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County employees, the Martinsville Area Community Foundation, numerous churches and civic groups, has accomplished a great deal in the lives of our community's impoverished youth. Again, this year backpack program participants expressed their thanks through cards and drawings - all of which will be mailed to top donors. Thank you for your generosity.

The Harvest Foundation & MARC Workshop team to fill backpacks

Harvest Foundation staff, as well as the director and participants of MARC Workshop gathered today to assist the Food for Kids program - an initiative of Community Storehouse - to fill backpacks. The Food for Kids program makes a difference in the lives of impoverished children by providing kids identified by teachers, counselors, and school nurses with discrete backpacks, filled with nutritious, child-friendly foods to utilize on weekends and holidays, when other resources - such as school breakfast and lunch programs - aren't available. The program is designed to meet the needs of children who rely on these resources as their only, or only reliable, source of food.

Every week, over 800 bags of food go out to impoverished youth in Martinsville and Henry County who rely on the nutrition they provide. Community Storehouse would like to thank the Harvest Foundation and MARC Workshop for their involvement with accomplishing this worthwhile task.

Brandon's Story

Brandon's parents have a familiar story to tell. They both worked at a local factory, and both are now unemployed. Their unemployment benefits have run out, and they're left with some difficult decisions to make.

His dad started working part-time at a fast food chain, but that barely pays the house and car payments. "I never thought I'd find myself in this mess," he said.

Brandon tells us, "most of the time there's something at home to eat... most of the time." He goes on to explain, there's almost always not enough.

His parents go without a lot of the time, and he notices that.

Brandon says, the only 'real' meals he receives are at school. We know, balanced meals and nutrition aren't a priority when you're struggling to put food in the table in the first place.

Brandon receives a backpack each week, filled with enough child-friendly, nutritious food to last him weekends away from school. His teachers tell us, he's more attentive in class, and from his test scores, is retaining more knowledge. His parents have one less thing to worry about right now. He says, very simply, "the backpacks rock!"

Over half the children living in Martinsville and Henry County are classified as living in poverty. Won't you help Brandon, and the children struggling just like him, in our community?

Take a moment to read more about what the Food for Kids program is doing in the lives of children in our area, www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org/ffk.

It's not just food for today; it's hope for our tomorrow.

What is THE HUNGER GAP and how can I help?

Who falls within the hunger gap?

The answer may be surprising.

They are the children who sit next to your kids in class every day and go hungry every evening.

They are the hard-working families in your neighborhood who struggle with the decision to pay bills or buy food. They are the seniors who live around the corner from you and quietly wonder where their next meal is coming from.

Since 2001, the Community Storehouse has assisted over 22,000 unduplicated individuals, consisting of over a quarter of a million boxes of groceries; right now, 800 backpacks find their way to deserving, underpriviledged children every week; and our community store assists hundreds of families a year who have been devistated by housefires and other disasters.

With your nominal donation, we can bridge the hunger gap for another deserving, underprivileged family. If you don't help, who will?

Visit our website & make a donation. What you're really giving is hope.

www.communitystorehouseofmhc.org

1 in 4 Children

Did you know, 1 in 4 children living in Martinsville and Henry County live in poverty?

Their parents, many being the working poor, struggle to balance paying the bills and providing enough food for a growing child. A rising number of families, some with both parents laid off from their jobs, have maxed out their unemployment benefits, and are left in an impossible situation with nowhere to turn.

The Community Storehouse offers hope to those who would otherwise be hungry. That's what the agency means to thousands of Southside Virginia's citizens. We are passionately pursuing a hunger free community. Won't you join us? With your nominal donation, we can make a huge difference in the lives of our needy neighbors.