Boys & Girls Club Kids & Families benefit from First Choice Power $10,000 Grant in Partnership with Capital Area Food Bank of Texas
Killeen, TX – Thanks to funds donated from First Choice Power in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB), local children in need will continue to have access to weekly bags of food. While the economy has negatively impacted countless households and more families find themselves in need, since 2004, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas has provided nutritional afterschool snacks and weekend backpacks loaded with food for Club members and families during the school year. First Choice Power has graciously offered to fund these same activities throughout the 2011 summer with their Food First™ program.
“With the money donated from First Choice Power, CAFB using their purchasing power were able to acquire large quantities of food at reduced rates,” said Francie Charles Resource Development Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas. “Two-Hundred and Fifty bags can now be distributed weekly”, Charles added.
A kick-off event is scheduled for June 9th at 10:00 am at the Woody Hall Unit, 5100 Trimmier Road in Killeen.
“About 48,000 people are served by the Food Bank, in any given week and 20,000 of those are children,” said Carla Cantu, Senior Director of Agency Relations with CAFB. Cantu pointed out that “Hunger costs Texas $9 billion every year” and she added that “child hunger costs the U.S. economy at least $428 billion per year because poorly nourished children perform less well in school and require far more long-term healthcare spending.”
“We are excited and honored to be a part of this joint effort in combating hunger in Texas”, said Catherine Carlton, Community & Media Relations with First Choice Power. Ms. Carlton pointed out that Texas has the third hungriest population in the United States. And when it comes to hungry children, a USDA study found that Texas leads the nation with more than 22% of Texas children younger than the age of eighteen at risk of hunger on a daily basis.
According to Ms. Carlton – that’s why they are putting Food First™. To change all that, they have made fighting hunger their No. 1 cause. In May of 2010, First Choice Power launched their Food First program and they have been doing all they can to help out at food banks, support lunch programs and more.
For information on this program or other youth programs, please contact the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Texas (www.bgctx.org) or call 254-699-5808. For more information on First Choice Power: www.firstchoicepower.com.
About Capital Area Food Bank of Texas:
The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas (CAFB) is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger. Since 1982, CAFB in collaboration with more than 350 partner agencies has been helping Central Texans in need providing healthy food, nutritional program assistance and education, so they can make better choices at mealtime. In the past 12 months, CAFB distributed more than 25 million pounds of food to 300,000 Central Texans in its 21 county service territory. For more information on the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and its programs, visit www.austinfoodbank.org or call 512-282-2111.