LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A local non-profit is seeking help feeding an increase in hungry Kentuckians. And organizers are hoping you’re looking for a year-end tax break through charitable giving.
Michael Halligan, CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank, is on a mission to met a basic need for all Kentuckians.
“Our volume yesterday surpassed 35 million pounds for 2018,” he said. “That’s enough food to create over 29 million meals, and it’s 15 percent more food than we were distributing just two years ago.”
In the past two years, those at risk of hunger increased by almost 15 percent in Fayette County alone. A bump in many counties means Halligan’s team is hustling even more this year and in need of more resources than before.
“The food bank has about 10-15 days worth of food inside its warehouses at a time ready to go out out to about 200 thousand of a quarter of a million people in central and eastern Kentucky who are unsure where their next meal is coming from,” he said.
“For $1 we’re able to gather and distribute enough food to create eight meals,” he added. “Three dollars feeds a family of four for a weekend.”
A few dollars can go a long way, especially now at the end of the year.
“About 10 percent of giving in the United States happens in the last three days of the year,” Halligan noted. “So for us, December is a critically important month for fundraising, and we’re trying to raise another $200- to $250,000 in these last three days of the year.
“You know, my final Christmas wish is to have enough resources so there aren’t hungry people any longer. We’re not there yet but, the generosity of the community allows us to make a step forward every day.”
