Step Up To The Plate for a Hunger-Free Community

NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The Westside Food Bank will host its 20th annual 5k Hunger Walk: Step Up To The Plate for a Hunger-Free Community.  As our economy continues to struggle, Westside Food Bank's work has never been more crucial.  Westside Food Bank has been serving the local community since 1981.  It currently provides more than 4 million pounds of food a year that reaches close to 95,000 of our neighbors most in need.  Its mission is to distribute as much food as possible to local agencies with food assistance programs and to reduce food waste on the Westside of Los Angeles County.

The Hunger Walk will take place on November 7, 2010 at 12 noon at 2600 Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (Ocean Park Blvd. at the beach.)  It is a free event and there is no fundraising minimum.  Although the goal is to raise money and alleviate hunger in our communities, we encourage everyone to come out, put their best foot forward and walk for a worthy cause. Gather your friends, create a team, register today and create an impact.  Participants will enjoy entertainment, games, raffle prizes, a silent auction, and naturally, an invigorating 3.1 mile stroll along the beach in Santa Monica.  Invited celebrities include Kerri Kasem, daughter of the radio host Casey Kasem, and actresses Julia-Louis Dreyfus and Teri Hatcher.  The money raised from this event goes to acquiring food for those in need in our community, and half of that food will go to children.  The proceeds from last year's Hunger Walk enabled them to provide enough food for over 450,000 meals. 

In Los Angeles County, a record 1 out of 5 children are living in poverty.  Westside Food Bank is particularly focused on providing a balanced variety of nutritious foods for local children, whose growing bodies cannot wait for a better economy to get the nutrition they need now.  Since the start of the economic crisis, requests for food assistance at Westside Food Bank's member pantries has increased by more than 50%, and much of that increase is among families with young children.  

You can help make a difference in the fight against hunger in our community.  Your participation will help local food pantries, soup kitchens and hunger-relief agencies provide food for thousands of families in the year ahead. Become a walker or form a walking team: with no registration fees or minimum fundraising requirements, your presence alone will make a world of difference by raising awareness about local hunger.  You can also become a sponsor and help raise funds in support of the cause.  Donations and volunteers for the event are highly appreciated.

Register, donate, and get more information online at: https://westsidefoodbank.myetap.org/fundraiser/20thAnnualHungerWalk/

About Westside Food Bank

Westside Food Bank's mission is to distribute as much food as possible to local agencies with food assistance programs and to reduce food waste on the Westside of Los Angeles County.

Website: http://www.westsidefoodbankca.org/

SOURCE Westside Food Bank