Small tokens of generosity go a long way this time of year for Foodlink, which relies on the annual Check Out Hunger campaign to fund its anti-hunger efforts in the Rochester region.
The fundraiser began October 28 at Weg-mans, and continues through December 1. When shoppers go through the checkout line, they have the option of donating $2, $3, $5 – or rounding their grocery bill up to the nearest dollar – to support Foodlink, the regional food bank responsible for serving 10 counties in western New York. Last year, thousands of small donations added up to more than $630,000 for Foodlink and its anti-hunger programs.
“We can’t stress enough how important this campaign is to our daily operations,” said Heather Newton, Foodlink’s Director of Development and Community Engagement. “Luckily, we live in a generous community, and year after year, Wegmans and their shoppers step up to take care of those who need our help.”
According to Feeding America, nearly 150,000 residents in Foodlink’s 10-county service area – including close to 50,000 children – are considered food insecure, meaning their household lacks reliable access to healthy food. The overall food-insecurity rate is 11.7 percent, however the problem is more severe in the City of Rochester, where certain neighborhoods have rates between 30 percent and 40 percent.
This year’s fundraising campaign aligns with Foodlink’s 40th anniversary. On December 19, 1978, Tom Ferraro founded the organization that would later be renamed Foodlink, and the nonprofit has been growing and introducing a multitude of programs to address the root causes of hunger.
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