Sign-a-Rama Provides Kids Cafe Open Signs on St. Mary’s Trucks

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance would like to thank Ken Parsons and Sign-a-Rama for the great graphics promoting our Kids Cafe Open on all our St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance trucks. With our fleet logging approximately 1,000 collecting and distributing food each day, it’s a great way to let everyone know that it’s once again time to tee off on hunger!

We still have room for individuals, foursomes and those who would like to donate auction items to the 11th Annual Kids Cafe Open on Friday, Mar. 30 at the fabulous Wigwam gold and blue courses. Call (602) 343-3148 for more information or log on to www.firstfoodbank.org

Make a Food Donation to Bakery Outlet Food Drive – and Sara Lee will Add a Loaf of Bread

During the month of March, St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance’s good friends at Sara Lee will help make your donations to help feed the hungry of Arizona go even further. With each non-perishable food donation made that their Sara Lee Bakery Outlets, the company will add a loaf of bread to that donation. Bread is ...always a welcome addition to emergency food boxes and St. Mary’s would like to thank Sara Lee, a huge supporter in the fight against hunger, for their continued efforts.
Stop by the Sara Lee Bakery outlet in Phoenix (4015 N. 16th Street) and Glendale (6766 West Glendale Avenue, #145) and drop off a food donation while you enjoy the many fabulous Sara Lee products. And when you do, a loaf of bread will be added to your donation at no cost.
We like Sara Lee at St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. But then again … nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.

Get a Wellness Exam For Your Pet For Just $10 – or a With a Donation To St. Mary’s

Get a Wellness Exam For Your Pet For Just $10 – or a With a Donation To St. Mary’s

Allergy season is on the horizon and that means not just you but your pets will be in need of care.

The Animal Hospital of Grayhawk is doing a food drive for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance for the entire month of March. Anyone customers who donate non-perishable food items for the hungry of Arizona is eligible for a pet wellness Exam for $10, and each pet vaccine will cost only $15. That’s a significant savings and a great chance to provide food for those in need.

The Animal Hospital of Grayhawk is located at 20801 N. Scottsdale Rd. #101 in Scottsdale. For more information on their services, visit www.animalhospitalatgrayhawk.com.

AAFB EXPANDS ADVOCACY COVERAGE

As bills are being heard in the state legislature at the present moment, our elected officials need to hear your voice in support of Arizonans struggling with hunger and poverty, and the programs that serve them.
We’ve weighed in on bills that affect food banks and those they serve on our updated AAFB Advocacy Page, which features information on both state and national issues.
Breaking news can always be found on the AAFB Facebook page.
Make your voice be heard by speaking up to your legislators and subscribing to our email advocacy updates by sending an email with "subscribe to AAFB Advocacy Team" in the subject line

Meeting the Need in Challenging Times

SAVE THE DATE -- REGISTER  ----   Meeting the Need in Challenging Times:
The Arizona Food Bank Network Conference
When: Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (registration opens at 7:30 a.m.)
Where: Vineyard Church North Phoenix in Glendale, Arizona
Continental Breakfast & Lunch Provided - No Registration Fee
RSVP to Brian Simpson at 602-528-3434 or brian@azfoodbanks.org
Details at: http://www.azfoodbanks.org/index.php/conference

Statistics on what happens to kids in child-welfare system grim
Full Story at:  http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2012/02/25/20120225child-welfare-system-statistics-grim.html

Arizona program cuts put strain on families

Over the past four years, Arizona lawmakers faced with huge budget deficits have balanced the state's budget in part by cutting more than $300 million from programs that help struggling families before they reach the point where they abandon, abuse or neglect their children. Studies show many of the programs cut since 2008 work to improve parenting, strengthen families and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect, often by helping parents to provide safe, nurturing, stable homes.

For many families, help paying for food and utilities or finding substance-abuse treatment can provide the stability they need to stay afloat. But families in severe cases, such as Fulbright's, need a myriad of services -- like job training, housing and child care -- to become self-sufficient. The loss of a job and a late custody payment started Fulbright on a downward spiral, a situation many families that live paycheck to paycheck face.

Full Story at: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/02/26/20120226cps-arizona-cuts-strain-families.html



Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2012/02/26/20120226cps-arizona-cuts-strain-families.html#ixzz1nbE8Cyj8