Credit Unions Across Texas Collect Food, Donations to Help Hungry

DALLAS, Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of the celebration of International Credit Union Day and the Year of the Cooperative, credit unions across Texas cooperated and collaborated to tackle a challenge that faces families in every community: hunger.

"'Collaborating to Fight Hunger' has been a tangible way for credit unions to demonstrate our 'people helping people' philosophy," said Jim Phelps, who worked with credit union leaders to coordinate the statewide initiative in October and November.  "It's been exciting to hear reports from around the state of all the people our credit unions are helping."

A recent hunger study found that 27 percent of people are food unsecure, which means they go without food in order to pay for rent, water, medicine, etc.  Notably, three quarters of the people who are served by local food banks are children and senior citizens.

While the figures are still coming in, early reports show that credit unions donated thousands of pounds of food to area food banks and tens of thousands of dollars to help local hunger organizations supply meals for the hungry in their communities.

The Pineywoods Chapter of Credit Unions collected a whopping 1,500 pounds of food to help East Texas families.

The Fort Worth Chapter of Credit Unions presented the Tarrant Area Food Bank with funding and 650 pounds of food, thanks to the generosity of credit union members across the city. 

"With their strong buying power and storage facilities, Tarrant Area Food Bank can feed a family of four for one dollar," noted Kathryn Rotter, business development coordinator at Tarrant County Credit Union, noting what a difference each donation can make in a person's life. 

Across the state, the credit unions of the El Paso Chapter showed up with a truck bed full of food for Rescue Mission of El Paso, along with a $500 check to serve those in need. 

Some credit unions even took the initiative a step further, such as AMOCO FCU, which not only is collaborating with fellow credit unions in the Gulf Coast Chapter in collecting food to share with five local food banks, but also is donating $25 for every new car loan from October-December.  "Our donation amount just for October was $11,175," said Michelle Still of AMOCO FCU.

"When you have several credit unions working together towards a goal such as this, many people in our communities will be served during the upcoming holidays," said Jo Leah Boyd, vice president of lending at Cal-Com FCU in Port Lavaca and a member of the Texas Crossroads Chapter.  "It is such a blessing to give to those who are in need."

The nearly 600 credit unions in Texas are members of 26 regional credit union chapters.  The Chapters developed and organized the "Collaborating to Fight Hunger" initiative in partnership with the Texas Credit Union League.  Learn more at www.tcul.coop.

SOURCE Texas Credit Union League