DENVER—
The Arc Thrift Stores/FOX 31 food drive is underway. It helps replenish the Volunteers of America's City Harvest after its holiday food donations have been depleted.It happens to be Colorado's largest spring food drive and you can help by donating canned food and nonperishable food items at any Arc Thrift Store or by scheduling a pick up by calling (303) 238-5263. The drive runs during the month of April. The goal is to collect 216,000 pounds of food.
The food is collected, sorted, packed and delivered to VOA by ARC trucking and warehouse employees. It's the single largest donation of food received by the Volunteers of America annually.
A Community in Need
- Food banks are seeing an average 30% increase in the number of families requesting help
- Over 16% of children in Colorado are living in poverty
- Participation in the Food Stamp Program in Colorado has increased 40% in the last five years
- At least 12% of Colorado households are food insecure
Food Pantry Clients
- 39% have at least one employed person in the household
- 84% have no private medical insurance
- 30% had to choose between paying for food or paying for medical care
