(Watertown, NY – Feb. 27, 2013) In 2012, the Watertown Urban Mission food pantry provided groceries to your neighbors in need more than 20,000 times to make more than 304,000 meals.
The reality is that many of our neighbors struggle with hunger every day and helping these families put wholesome food on the table is only possible because of your support. So last year, you stepped up in March and April to donate more than $36,000 in food and financial donations to the food pantry to leverage grant funding through the Feinstein Challenge.
This year we’re asking you to do the same.
The challenge comes from Alan Shawn Feinstein, a Rhode Island philanthropist, who puts up $1 million every year to spur communities to join his fight against hunger. Participating organizations get a cut of that $1 million pot based on your generosity in March and April.
So when you donate food or money to the pantry from March 1 to April 30, your gift will go farther. That’s important because need continues to rise. Last year, you nearly doubled the $19,000 collected in 2011.
“We are so grateful for the Feinstein challenge because it adds value to what you do every month with your generous donations to our pantry,” said Erika F. Flint, executive director. “Truly, Mr. Feinstein is to be commended for putting his money where his heart is and so should you, because together we can make a difference for our struggling neighbors.”
The Watertown Urban Mission’s Food Pantry in 2012 provided more than 304,000 meals to more than 20,000 individuals, including more than 7,500 children. On average, nearly 550 unique families use our pantry each month, making the Mission’s pantry the busiest in the North Country. The generosity of local churches, individuals, organizations and businesses enabled the Mission to meet the need in our community, which included nearly 2,600 individuals who received meals at the Mission for the first time in 2012.
The grant challenge accounts for each item of food donated as $1, along with monetary donations to determine the Mission’s share of the $1 million. Bottom Line: Donations to the Watertown Urban Mission Food Pantry from March 1 to April 30 will leverage funds from a Rhode Island Philanthropist.