May 8, 2008 - Competing Companies Raise $20,000 to Fight Hunger
April 30, 2008 - Weld Food Bank receives grant through 'American Idol'
December 7th, 2007 - Ft. Lupton Middle School students volunteer at Weld Food Bank
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Competing Companies Raise $20,000 to Fight Hunger
May 8, 2008 - Winners were announced this week for Weld Food Bank’s 4th Annual Corporate Food Challenge, and included a big surprise! More than $20,500 and 5700 pounds of food was raised by 13 competing businesses to benefit the food bank.
The two-week long Corporate Food Challenge engages area businesses in a competition to raise food and funds to benefit the Weld Food Bank. Points are awarded for every pound of food and every dollar raised. Trophies are awarded for Largest Food Contribution, Largest Monetary Contribution, and Largest Overall Contribution (based on percentage per company employee).
This year, a fourth trophy was added to the competition for Most Volunteer Sorting Hours. Competing teams were encouraged to send employees to the food bank to help sort donated food so it could be distributed immediately to either the 116 non-profit agencies that rely on Weld Food Bank for food, or for direct service programs including Kid’s Cafe, the Backpack Program for Kids, or emergency food boxes.
In previous years, StarTek has swept all trophy categories, leaving competitors in the dust. This set the scene for a highly competitive and energetic contest this year, complete with a surprise ending!
As winners were announced, StarTek came through the challenge as a true champion, retaining their trophies for both Largest Monetary and Largest Food Contributions as well as taking home the new trophy.
But, in an unexpected upset and amid hoops and hollers, Meadow Gold was awarded the trophy for the Overall Contribution award!
Weld Sheriff’s Office was recognized as “Rookie of the Year”. In their first year, they ran a close third to our biggest contenders!
Congratulations to all companies that participated to help the hungry in Weld County. Challengers included: Advanced Forming Technology, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Bonnell Good Samaritan Community, DCP Midstream, Greeley Tribune, Harsh International, Hall Irwin, Honda of Greeley, Meadow Gold Dairy, North Range Behavioral Health, Weld County Sheriff’s Office and Women’s Clinic of Greeley.
If your company would like to be included in next year’s challenge, please contact the Weld Food Bank at 356-2199.
Weld Food Bank receives grant through 'American Idol'
April 30, 2008 - Reality television is helping feed hungry children in Weld County.
Weld Food Bank has received a grant for over $11,000 to support its children’s programs. Both the Kid’s Café and the Backpack Program will benefit from this money.
Last year, the Kid’s Café program provided 10,855 hot meals and snacks to over 800 kids. Meals are served at the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Hill-N-Park Mission Area in Greeley.
The Backpack program operates through the school year and provides food to children at risk of hunger over the weekend. Weld Food bank distributed 11, 646 backpacks over 600 kids last year but has had to cut back in this current year due to significant cuts in funding. Currently this program is operating in Windsor, Evans, Greeley and Fort Lupton.
The Idol grant was result of collaboration between the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund, a group aimed at fighting poverty amongst children in the United States and Africa, and American Idol on the Fox TV network. More than $74 million was raised during a "give back" theme week on the singing competition show last year.
Weld Food Bank’s membership in the nation’s food bank network America’s Second Harvest, one of the four domestic charities to get funds from the specials, made the local organization eligible for the money.
"We are extremely grateful for this donation. It will go a long way in helping us feed hungry children," said Leona Martens, Executive Director of Weld Food Bank.
"So many of the school children in Weld County face the threat of hunger. This grant will ensure that more children have access to nutritious food over the weekends, when school meal programs are not available."
“There have been many studies done that prove a child cannot learn or make good life decisions when they are hungry. We as a community must address this issue.”
Ft. Lupton Middle School students volunteer at Weld Food Bank
Dec 7th, 2007 - GREELEY – Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, 18 Fort Lupton Middle School 8th grade AVID students got off of their bus Friday and trekked into Weld Food Bank to be the change they want to see in the world; their theme for this school year.
The students performed various volunteer tasks: building food boxes to be distributed to families throughout the county, repackaging pinto beans, crating eggs and most importantly sorting food donations.
Each and every can, bag and box of food that Weld Food Bank receives must be safety checked and sorted before it can be distributed to its nonprofit agency partners in Weld County. Each is inspected and special attention is paid to expiration dates, dents, recalled items, quality of food and condition of food.
This food sorted by these enthusiastic students will be distributed to agencies and food pantries such as Fort Lupton Food and Clothing Bank and the Seventh Day Adventist Church for their holiday baskets. Their hard work will benefit hungry families in their community as well as families throughout Weld County. Thank you, Fort Lupton students, for truly being the change you want to see in the world!
