FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Maria DeCabooter
mdecabooter@girlscoutssoaz.org
520.319.3175
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Fighting Hunger One Can at a Time
Bag-a-thon Wrap up Party
October 20, 2012
11am-1pm
Edward Jones (Oro Valley)
10355 N La Canada Drive
TUCSON- Hunger is an unfortunate fact of life for many Arizonans. According to the Association of Arizona Food Banks, one in five Arizona households with children report not having enough money to buy food for their family. This makes Arizona one of fifteen states with the highest rates of food hardship among households with children. This is a dismal statistic, but it has brought organizations across the community together to work toward the creation of sustainable solutions to fight hunger.
Junior Troop 482 taking part in Bag-a-thon
In Tucson, Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona has partnered with Edward Jones and Interfaith Community Service for the 6th Annual Bag-a-thon Food Drive to collect 50,000 pounds of food. After joining the partnership, Girl Scouts set a goal to collect 100 pounds of food per participating group, which is equivalent to approximately 100 cans. Throughout the month, 455 Girl Scouts collected food in their schools and in their neighborhoods as part of the drive. Girl Scouts also participated in the Marana Hunger Walk and viewed the Food Network’s documentary Hunger Hits Home in order to help bring awareness to the problems caused by hunger.
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona’s Council staff also joined the action by hosting a friendly competition among teams to see which department could collect the most canned items. Kristi Pallack, Community Action Specialist, is excited by the turnout among girls and employees alike. “We have over 400 girls not just collecting cans, but eager to learn more about what they can do to help make a difference. This level of youth engagement is not only very exciting but inspiring as well.”
Troop 2162 participating in Marana’s Hunger Walk
The official Bag-a-thon drive wraps up this Saturday, October 20th, with a collection party at Edward Jones. Girls will bring all their canned food items and will have the opportunity to celebrate service and community with their fellow Scouts and community members.
For more information on Bag-a-thon or to donate items, please contact Kristi Pallack at kpallack@girlscoutssoaz.org, or 520.319.3154.
About Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts is the world’s preeminent leadership development organization dedicated to helping build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. GSSoAz serves over 14,000 girls in Southern Arizona and includes over 3,000 adult volunteers. Our goals are to provide a wide range of contemporary programs that reflect the unique needs and interests of all girls living in Southern Arizona, to empower girls to reach their full potential, and to give girls a voice in their community and in their own lives. For more information, please contact Maria DeCabooter at (520) 319-3175.
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Tags: Bagathon, hunger, Take Action