MEDIA CONTACT Kevin Lake, public relations assistant ktlake@crimson.ua.edu 205-759-5519 West Alabama Food Bank P.O.

Box 1222 1605 23rd Avenue Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35403

WEST ALABAMA FOOD BANK FACT SHEET Description: The West Alabama Food Bank (WAFB) was incorporated in 1987 as a non-profit organization whose mission is to help alleviate hunger and food insecurity in nine West Alabama counties. Of the 315,000 people who live in West Alabama, more than 15 percent live below the poverty line. The WAFB has helped by distributing over 17 million pounds of food to households in need through our network of 65 agencies. The WAFB is a member of the Alabama Food Bank Association and an affiliate of Feeding America The Nations Food Bank Network. Services: The WAFB collects surplus and salvageable food and distributes it to agencies that serve needy families in the West Alabama region. All agencies are staffed by unpaid volunteers who pay a minimal shared maintenance fee. It is estimated that each dollar spent by an agency at the WAFB will purchase $12.25 worth of food at retail prices. Programs: The WAFB is a full service food bank that seeks ways to provide our member agencies with a wide variety of programs and projects to help meet the diverse needs of West Alabama. These programs include: The Secret Meals for Hungry Children Program: This program teams with school faculty and staff to identify underfed elementary students. These students are provided healthy meal packs for the weekends when school breakfast and lunches are not available. The Mobile Food Pantry: Many of the regions in our nine county service area do not have an adequate number of agencies to provide support for those in need. The Mobile Food Pantry is a program designed to bring necessities to those regions. Volunteers pack our refrigerated truck full of necessities so the WAFB can bring relief where it is needed most. -more-

The Brown Bag Program: Approximately 28 percent of our senior citizens in Alabama have to make the difficult decision between food and medicine. To alleviate this problem the WAFB delivers 524 Brown Bags packed with 30 pounds of food each month to those seniors living below the poverty line. The Beat Auburn Beat Hunger Food Drive: This is a competition between the student bodies of The University of Alabama and Auburn University. Since 1994 the Alabama and Auburn students, faculty, staff and community supporters compete to see which campus will collect the most food.

How to Volunteer: The WAFB has need of volunteers in several areas. Most volunteer positions do not require a long commitment of time per scheduled visit. We ask that all volunteers call the WAFB to schedule a time to perform any volunteer duties. How to Donate: The West Alabama Food Bank accepts donations from the public from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday Thursday and from 8:00 am to noon on Friday. For deliveries after these hours please call the food bank at (205) 759-5519 or email us at wafb@bellsouth.net to see if another time can be scheduled. For directions please visit our web site at www.westalabamafoodbank.org All checks can be made payable to The West Alabama Food Bank at P.O. Box 805 3160 McFarland Blvd. Northport AL. 35476. Fast Facts: Alabama has one of the highest poverty rates in the country. The regional unemployment rate is 16 percent, well above the national average. One of every five children and one of every four seniors live below the poverty level and many more Alabamians face food insecurity. The WAFB operates a 10,000 square foot warehouse with on site cold storage. The WAFB has been recently awarded a 26 foot refrigerated truck from The Walmart Foundation as part of their National Hunger Relief Effort. Location: The WAFB is located at 1605 23rd Ave. in Tuscaloosa Web site: www.westalabamafoodbank.org Phone: The WAFB phone number is 205-759-5519 ###