By Hailey Bernardo
The Yuma Community Food Bank, which serves more than 24,000 families each month, slides in first on our list of non-profit organizations that are in dire need of volunteers. Never heard of the Yuma Community Food Bank? Don't worry; you are a part of the 1/3 of Yuma County that is unaware. Let's Change that today!
Living in Yuma comes with many benefits, but for 1 in every 6 people it's a real struggle. Yuma has the highest hunger rate in the state and sits at a whopping 19 percent above the national average for citizens with food insecurities, according to a recent study by Feeding America called, "The Map the Meal Gap," which represents the food-insecurity rates by county. Being food insecure means that a person is unaware of how or where they will get their next meal.
Have you ever missed breakfast because you were running late for school, and then you got there and couldn't concentrate, so you ended up sitting in class counting down the time till lunch? Then lunch came, and you were able to satisfy that hunger pain in your stomach. Yes, that is such a great feeling.
But now imagine for a moment that you miss breakfast and have to carry on like you don't have a horrible pain in your stomach. You get to eat lunch because it's free at school, then you get home and don't eat dinner, and the next meal you're going to get is when you get to school again the next day. Some of us could only imagine how horrible that must be, but for almost 29,000 kids under the age of 18 in Yuma County, that is an everyday experience they must try and pull through.
This is where the Food Bank comes in to play. Families once a month can come and pick up an emergency food box. For so many families, this emergency food box is their only hope for food, and sadly it isn't enough for a family of four for a whole month. That is why volunteers and donations are needed more than ever.
The Food Bank staff stresses that the people receiving benefits are the "working poor." They are often mothers who lost a husband and can't make ends meet, or they are a family who has to pay medical bills for their child who has cancer. The customers coming to the Food Bank are families who work and need to choose between buying food and paying for electricity.
It's sad to think that this entire struggle is happening in our backyard. There are many ways to give back and help out. Just $1 can feed 9 people. You might ask, how is that possible? The Food Bank is linked up with agencies, so when one person donates $1, there are companies ready to match that dollar.
Anyone who volunteers at the local food bank can expect not only to earn volunteer hours, but also to meet real people having to face real life problems. Volunteers can get an insight into what it's like to truly give back and, most importantly, see the smile on the faces of a family when they receive that box full of food.
So make it your mission this week to come spend an hour at the Yuma Community Food Bank, and make a difference in someone's life!
