The M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust is contributing $50,000 towards replacing Emergency Food Network’s roof, but that’s not the only good news for the organization’s effort to raise $300,000 to secure the county’s emergency food supply with a new roof. The Trust has also agreed to provide an additional $50,000 in matching funds for the project if EFN can raise $50,000 more. The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has already contributed $50,000. Combined with $10,000 from EFN’s Board of Directors and nearly $60,000 from in-kind donations of materials, and the light at the end of the tunnel is quite visible.

“We’re overwhelmed by the generosity of the Murdock Charitable Trust and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians,” says EFN Executive DirectorHelen McGovern. “The long-term stability of our structure is essential in order to protectPierceCounty’s emergency food supply. With demand for food up more than 45% in the past two years and over 145,000 people visiting feeding programs each month, there’s no question that this is an important project.”

More than 14 million pounds of food valued at $18.5 million moves through Emergency Food Network’sWarehouseDistributionCenterinLakewoodevery year. At any given time, pallets of canned beans, soups, fresh produce, frozen salmon patties, and peanut butter tower above warehouse volunteers and forklift operators. It comes from a multitude of sources; food drives, donations from food distributors, government commodity deliveries. EFN also purchases more than $500,000 of staple items annually. All of the food is distributed at no cost 67 food banks, meal sites, and shelters inPierceCounty.

EFN’s 22,500 square foot warehouse has two walk-in refrigerators and a large walk-in freezer. A fleet of two trailers and two box vans help to transport tens of thousands of pounds of food every week. The goal, says McGovern, is to replace an old and inefficient roof. “One of our strategic priorities is to protectPierceCounty’s food supply to the best of our ability, and our assessment of the state of our structure is that we can better achieve this goal with a new roof,” Leaks are not uncommon, and wear and tear is apparent. Though EFN has occupied the facility since 1994, the building is much older.

EFN’s mission is to “provide a reliable food supply so that no person inPierceCountygoes hungry.” The organization distributes $12 worth of food for every $1 donated. The organization welcomes financial donations to help collect the last $50,000 needed to replace their roof. Once collected, the M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust will release their matching dollars, bringing the total Murdock contribution to $100,000.

For information about the Emergency Food Network or to Donate to the roof replacement project, visit www.efoodnet.org or contact Development Director Jeff Klein at jeff@efoodnet.org.

Hungry families and individuals in Pierce County will have more food in their cupboards this spring, thanks to the thoughtfulness of local citizens who placed bags of food by their mailboxes on May 14. EFN received over 265,000 pounds of food from communities throughout the county.

The event is a true community effort, with sponsor Bank of America providing more than 300,000 bags to the post office, who then delivered bags and reminders to area residents. Bank volunteers joined others fromUnited Way, Boy Scouts, ROTC, and many other organizations to help postal carriers on their routes to pick up food and load it onto trucks. Realtors from the Tacoma Pierce County Association of Realtors sorted food in EFN’s warehouse after the drive.

This year, organizers made an effort to emphasize the nutritional value of items donated. Peanut butter and canned meats, vegetables, and soups are healthy, protein-laden foods for families and individuals who visit area food banks in need of support through difficult times. EFN’s warehouse inLakewoodis now filled to the brim with generous gifts of food, but the bounty doesn’t last long.

“We distribute over $1 million pounds of food each month. The Letter Carriers’Food Driveprovides us with a weeks’ worth of food for those in our community who cannot take for granted that their cupboards will be full if they’re hungry,” says EFN Executive DirectorHelen McGovern.

Food drives play an important role in helping Emergency Food Network meet the needs of our hungryPierceCountyneighbors, but the National Association of Letter Carriers’Food   Driveis by far the biggest annual drive. Postal carriers inTacoma,Lakewood,Puyallup,Ft.Lewis,GigHarbor, Sumner,Parkland, Graham, and other rural areas throughout the region participate in this nationwide effort to “Stamp Out Hunger” (pun intended).

Each month inPierceCountyan average of 147,000 children, seniors and adults seek help at local food banks and hot meal sites. In 2010 EFN distributed 14.1 million pounds of food worth $18.5 million at no cost through our warehouse operation.  This represents a 16% increase over pounds distributed in 2009.

In addition to individual food drives, EFN relies on various companies and organizations to donate product. Once received, the food is distributed to the 67 food banks, hot meal sites, and shelters EFN serves throughoutPierceCounty. For many of these programs, EFN provides their regular foundation of shelf stable (dry, canned, and packaged food), fresh & frozen foods.

EFN is able to leverage their buying and donated food to distribute $12 worth of food for every $1 donated.

To learn more about EFN or to obtain a food drive information packet, visit www.efoodnet.org or call (253) 584-1040.

On Satruday, May 14, you can be a partner in Pierce County’s most significant community-wide effort of the year to fight food insecurity. All you have to do is put out the mail.

PierceCountypostal carriers partner annually with Emergency Food Network and area food banks to collect more that 300,000 pounds of food during the Letter Carriers’Food   Drive, a national event on the second Saturday of every May.

“Our goal this year is 400,000 pounds food, but we need everyone to help spread the word in order to meet that goal,” says Emergency Food Network’s Executive Director, Helen McGovern. “This is the biggest food drive of the year and it is so successful because it is so easy. All you have to do is fill a bag with food and leave it by your mailbox on Saturday morning. Your postal carrier will pick up and deliver it to us, and we’ll distribute it throughout the county.”

Bank of America supplied the bags this year, which arrive in the mail the Wednesday before the food drive. That should give residents the chance to find the best non-perishable food items to help feed the 147,000 monthly visitors to area feeding programs. McGovern recommends canned chili, canned soup or vegetables, peanut butter, baby food, and other highly-nutritious items. “If you’d eat it, and it’s good for you, we’ll take it,” says McGovern.

Each address in the county will receive a bag, but there is no limit to the amount of bags you can place out by the mail. Postal carriers and volunteers will  be swinging through your neighborhood to pick up your donations.

Each year, Emergency Food Network distributes more than 14 million pounds of food to 67 food banks, meal sites, and shelters inPierceCounty. To help put that in perspective, the food collected on May 14 will last for a week and a half. EFN combines donated food with purchased food and vegetables grown at their 8-acre Mother Earth Farm to work towards their mission “to provide a reliable food supply so that no person inPierceCountygoes hungry. EFN is able to leverage their buying and donated food to distribute $12 worth of food for every $1 donated.

Organizers of this year’s event recommend downloading the poster from EFN’s website and posting it in the workplace. Local businesses can also organize workplace collections to help boost this year’s total.

To learn more about EFN or to obtain a food drive information packet, visit www.efoodnet.org or call (253) 584-1040.