Montgomery Area Food Bank Day

WHEREAS, Montgomery Area Food Bank has for 27 years, connected people, food and community cohesive resources to create a framework of philanthropic, logistic and educational programs, which provide a safety net of improved food security for individuals and communities throughout Alabama; and
WHEREAS, Montgomery Area Food Bank’s varied programs, orchestrated by a streamlined staff of fewer than 30 professionals aided by a daily average of 10 – 15 unpaid volunteers, coordinate the annual distribution of more than 20 million pounds of vital nourishment to a growing number of families, children and elderly, all at no charge to those receiving assistance; and
WHEREAS, together with their Partner Distribution Organizations in Auburn, Dothan, Selma, and
Tuscaloosa, and more than 800 local participating agencies, the Montgomery Area Food Bank provides vital nutrition throughout 24,291 square miles of both metropolitan and remotely rural areas to combat food insecurity to Feed Hope Across Alabama; and

WHEREAS, in 2010 Montgomery Area Food Bank, already the largest distributing food bank in
Alabama, responded immediately to the urgent request from national food bank offices in Feeding America to absorb an additional 10 desperately-undeserved and poverty-stricken Alabama counties; and

WHEREAS, by responding to Feeding America’s request, Montgomery Area Food Bank’s service area grew to 35 of Alabama’s 67 counties, representing a geographic region crisscrossing the entire state, from Georgia to Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, in the aftermath of the devastation of the tornadoes that hit the Southern Tuscaloosa area on April 27, 2011, Montgomery Area Food Bank refrigerated trucks were on scene delivering vital sustenance the very next day and continued to provide relief in the form of 1,056,893 pounds of food for more than a month; and

WHEREAS, Montgomery Area Food Bank’s efforts not only satisfy emergent hunger needs, but simultaneously promote access to informative resources to increase awareness, self-sufficiency and ultimately the elimination of hunger; and

WHEREAS, on April 27, 2012, Montgomery Area Food Bank, led by the vision of its Board of Directors and Executive Director, E. Parke Hinman, III, initiated and successfully conducted a $2 million Capital Campaign in support of the financing and construction of a much-needed, new building extension adjacent to its existing facility; and

WHEREAS, after taking possession of its expanded capacity, Montgomery Area Food Bank stands ready to conduct a Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting and embark upon renewed, energetic operations in its effort to Feed Hope Across Alabama:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of the State of Alabama, do hereby proclaim July 3, 2014, as

Montgomery Area Food Bank Day

in the state of the Alabama.