PHOENIX, Ariz. – St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is critically low on canned food items heading into the hot summer months, and Arizona State University is asking Sun Devil football fans to help restock the shelves of the “World’s First Food Bank” by bringing three canned food items to this year’s Sun Devil Football Fan Fest on Saturday, April 19.
St. Mary’s Food Bank volunteers will be stationed outside the south entrance of Sun Devil Stadium on April 19 prior to and through the first 30 minutes of the annual Sun Devil Football Fan Fest and Spring Football Game, which begins at 9 a.m. Admission is free to the event, but fans are asked to please bring three canned food items (per person) to help ASU reach its goal of donating 5,000 pounds of desperately needed food to aid the hungry of Arizona.
St. Mary’s reports the needed non-perishable items include peanut butter, tuna, canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, soups and stews as well as packaged rice and beans. No glass bottles, please.
“Sun Devil Athletics is proud to partner with the St. Mary’s Food Bank to assist them in helping our community members in need," said Ray Anderson, ASU Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director. "'Sun Devils Serve’ is one of the core values of Sun Devil Athletics and this gives all Sun Devils an opportunity to exhibit this by donating non-perishable food items at our Football Fan Fest on April 19.”
All of the food collected from Sun Devil Football Fan Fest will stay in the community to reach the more than half a million Arizona children (one in every four) who live in poverty and the one in seven Arizona seniors who live on fixed incomes and often make the difficult choice between food and medicine. St. Mary’s distributes more than 40,000 emergency food boxes each month and 70 million pounds annually to nine of Arizona’s 15 counties.
“St. Mary’s is so appreciative of ASU for reaching out to the Food Bank and to the great Sun Devil fans for helping us restock our shelves with the difficult summer months looming,” St. Mary’s President and CEO Beverly Damore said. “Summer is when demand for food from those in need rises while donations typically decline as Arizona residents head to cooler climates. Food drives like these are critical to help St. Mary’s serve those in need.
“We all enjoyed watching the Sun Devils during the great 10-win season in 2013 and wish Coach Todd Graham and him team the best of luck as they defend their Pac-12 South Division championship.”
ABOUT ST. MARY’S FOOD BANK ALLIANCE: Now in its 47th year of serving Arizona, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to 300 partner agencies at 400 locations that serve the hungry. The World’s First Food Bank serves nine of our 15 counties, the organization is a member of Feeding America, the national network of food banks, and is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. In Fiscal Year 2012-13, the Food Bank distributed 70 million pounds of food to families and individuals and garnered more than 290,000 volunteer service hours. Web site: www.FirstFoodBank.org Phone: 602-242-FOOD.