By BJ Austin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-875989.mp3
Dallas, TX –
The North Texas Food Bank is counting on a burst of generous giving this Holiday Season to meet its five million dollar fundraising goal. KERA's BJ Austin says donations are more critical this year because of a notably higher demand.
Jan Pruitt, North Texas Food Bank director, is in charge of providing food for non-profits that run 12-hundred pantries in 13 counties. She says the recession and unemployment have boosted demand 36%, and forced some pantries to cut back.
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Pruitt: They're just giving less food to families than they did last year. So, if you came to a pantry last year, you got more food in that basket than you're getting this year just because of the sheer number that are showing up at the door.
Pruitt says the Food Bank gets most of its donations in November and December each year, and they are about three million dollars short of the goal. She says that money will determine how hungry families are fed during the first few months of the New Year, when she expects demand to grow even more. Food drive donations are always welcome, but Pruitt says every dollar donated translates into four meals. She says that means the Food Bank's five million dollar goal adds up to 20 million meals - and a big difference in many peoples' lives.
For more information on how food banks are helping the local community, go to the blog on KERA.org/economy