Feeding South Florida Launches Texting Campaign, Making it Easy for Anyone to Donate and Help Feed the Hungry

Durée Ross - 6/21/2010

Pembroke Park, Fla. – (June 2010) – Feeding South Florida™ (formerly Daily Bread Food Bank) is making feeding the hungry as simple as a text message. With Feeding South Florida's new texting campaign, anyone can text the word "FEED" to 52000 to donate $5 to the non-profit organization.

For every dollar donated, Feeding South Florida can distribute enough food for six life-sustaining meals. Out of every donated dollar, 98.4 cents goes directly to feed the hungry.

Each month, money donated via the texting campaign will go to a different cause within Feeding South Florida. For example, donations made in June will go towards stocking the new Feeding South Florida mobile pantry with fresh fruits and vegetables. In July, text donations will help feed hungry kids who are home from school for the summer, with no access to school lunches that help sustain them during the school year. Donations texted in August will be put toward the purchase of back-to-school supplies for kids attending Title I schools. In September, donations will help feed the hungry in South Florida through the Feeding America™ Hunger Action Month programs.

Feeding South Florida, a member of Feeding America, is the largest food bank in the state of Florida and serves an estimated 690,000 people needing food assistance in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties. Following are just a few ways in which donations to Feeding South Florida help feed hungry people in our community:

• $1 = Helps our member agencies save $15 in their food budgets.
• $5 = 30 life-sustaining meals
• $15 = 90 people in need can go to a food pantry to receive food provided by Feeding South Florida.
• $25 = Seven toddlers will be fed twice a day for one week at a children's services program.
• $35 = Two families of four won't go hungry for eight days because they can pick up groceries (milk, bread, pasta, tuna, peanut butter, vegetables and more) at an emergency food pantry.
• $75 = 112 families of four can have a hot dinner at a local community kitchen.
• $100 = 300 homeless women and children will get a hot dinner and breakfast at a shelter.

All donation(s) will appear on/be charged through the donor's wireless bill.

Judith Gatti, executive director of Feeding South Florida, said, “There is an urgent need for food in South Florida, and we introduced the texting program to make it even more simple for members of our community to become a part of the movement to end hunger. Just $5, or multiple donations of $5, can make a big difference in the life of a hungry person in our own area.”

ABOUT FEEDING SOUTH FLORIDA

Feeding South Florida™ (formerly Daily Bread Food Bank) is a not-for-profit organization that empowers other South Florida not-for-profit organizations to assist people in need and improve their lives. Feeding South Florida does this by providing food and other grocery products; and by educating and engaging our community to fight hunger and poverty. Through a local network of more than700 other not-for-profit organizations, Feeding South Florida strives to serve children, the elderly, the mentally and physically challenged, veterans and the working poor with compassion and integrity. Feeding South Florida is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Over 23 million pounds of food is distributed within the community by Feeding South Florida each year. Feeding South Florida’s headquarters is located at 2501 SW 32 Terrace, Pembroke Park, FL, 33023. For more information, please call (954) 518-1818 or visit www.feedingsouthflorida.org.