Food For Thought - Denver Needs Your Vote

DENVER, April 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Food For Thought Denver is hoping the public can help them click their way to a grant from Wal-Mart by voting for the nonprofit in the "Fighting Hunger Together" initiative - a national campaign where money is awarded to programs that get the most votes for their innovative and effective programs that help alleviate child hunger. Food For Thought Denver is one of three non-profit organizations in Colorado nominated to participate in this nationwide contest.

The public will decide what organization will receive the grants through a voting campaign at www.facebook.com/walmart that includes more than 300 different hunger relief organizations from across the country. The more votes a Feeding America food bank or partner agency gets, the better chances they have of winning the money. The funds won will then be used to support local child hunger relief programs.

Bob Bell, Executive Director and Founder of Food for Thought, explained what winning this grant will mean to the program: "Winning a $20,000 grant from the Wal-Mart 'Fighting Hunger Together' Initiative will allow us to provide 5,000 PowerSacks of weekend food to bridge the gap between the meals that low-income students receive during the school week.  Each bag feeds a family of four two meals.  This grant will enable us to serve one entire elementary school for half of the school year, helping to eliminate the tummy-aches, headaches and learning difficulties experienced by these children when they come to school hungry on Monday mornings."

The public will be able to vote on their favorite child hunger programs through 11:59 pm ET on April 30 at www.facebook.com/walmart. Descriptions of programs from across the country that are dedicated to reducing child hunger in their communities will be posted on the voting site along with a "vote" button. Visitors to the page can award one "vote" a day to their favorite program. At the conclusion of the voting, top vote getters will split $3 million in funding from Wal-Mart.

Funding for child hunger programs is especially critical given the significant need that exists. According to the USDA, more than 16 million children in the United States struggle with hunger. In Denver County alone, there are an estimated 31,000 children who struggle with hunger.

To vote for Food For Thought Denver, please go to:

http://apps.facebook.com/walmartlocal/?applet=hunger&organization=25&agency=3

Food For Thought Denver is a local non-profit organization having a big impact in the fight against hunger for metro Denver children. Each Friday, Food For Thought delivers over 600 "PowerSacks" of non-perishable food to the students (ages 3-12) at Fairview and Columbian Elementary schools in Denver.  Over 90% of the students at each of these schools qualify for federal free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs.

Food For Thought Denver is a 100% volunteer effort, with more than 600 registered volunteers currently in the program. The organization is committed to keeping overhead expenses at zero – every dollar raised is used to buy food that goes directly to the students the organization serves.

Food For Thought Denver is a program of the Arvada Sunrise Rotary Foundation in partnership with Metro State University in Denver.

For more information about Food For Thought – Denver, please visit our website at http://www.foodforthoughtdenver.org

Contact:
Bob Bell
Food For Thought Denver
720-201-9192

SOURCE Food For Thought Denver