SVEC
Contributor
The second annual Suwannee Valley Food Fight to End Hunger, organized by Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC), is in the books.
Throughout August, Cheek & Scott Pharmacy, First Federal Bank, The Florida Peanut Federation, SVEC and Walt's Live Oak Ford held a friendly competition to collect the most money and non-perishable food items for the Florida Gateway Food Bank.
Together, the community-minded organizations raised $1,325 and collected 1,549 pounds of food. The money alone can be leveraged by the food bank to provide approximately 15,900 nutritious meals to local people in need.
“September is National Hunger Awareness Month and we are very grateful to our partners for uniting with us to fight hunger and have a positive impact on local families,” says SVEC Director of Communications, Jon Little.
According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one in seven residents of the Suwannee Valley are food insecure. Food insecurity refers to the USDA’s measure of lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. Food-insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time, but may face trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills, and purchasing nutritionally adequate foods.
“With the current state of our economy locally and across the nation, these donations are needed more than ever,” says Florida Gateway Food Bank Manager, David Boozer. “We have a great need for food in our community, and we are seeing more and more families visit us each day. These donations will be distributed immediately and will impact many.”
About Florida Gateway Food Bank
The Florida Gateway Food Bank is operated by the Catholic Charities Bureau, Lake City Regional Office. The food bank supplies families and food pantries throughout the Suwannee Valley. In-date dry or canned food donations may be dropped off during their weekday business hours. For more information about the food bank or to organize a food drive, please call Catholic Charities Regional Director, Suzanne Edwards, at (386) 754-9180.
About SVEC
Headquartered in Live Oak, SVEC is a not-for-profit cooperative that provides safe, affordable and reliable electric service to its consumer-members in Florida’s Columbia, Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee Counties. SVEC maintains over 4,100 miles of electric distribution lines and serves an area of about 2,100 square miles.