Merrimack Valley Food Bank



		Donate Food		Donate Money

		Donate Your Time		Virtual Food Drive

DO YOU NEED FOOD ASSISTANCE? For a calendar list of the days and hours of Lowell Pantries and Meals click here. Contact the Project Bread Food Source Hotline at 1-800-645-8333 for a Massachusetts pantry or meals program near you.

Come and Join Us! Annual Blues n’ Brews Festival Saturday, August 21, 2010 Noon to 7:00 PM Nashoba Valley Ski Area Westford, MA Rain or Shine Sponsored by the Westford Rotary Club Click here for tickets and volunteer information Proceeds benefit the Food Bank and other charitable organizations Fall Neighborhood Food Drive: September 18 – 25, 2010 Register your volunteer team or offer to be a collection point for food donations! Email Amy Pessia at: amy_pessia@mvfb.org Click here for more information. Plant A Row for the Hungry: 735 Broadway Street, Lowell, MA. Please consider donating your garden harvest to our Mobile Pantry program serving homebound seniors and disabled people in Greater Lowell. Please call Suellen at 978-454-7174 or e-mail suellen_oneill@mvfb.org to schedule your donation delivery Monday – Friday between 9am – 4pm, throughout the growing season. https://sites.google.com/site/plantarowforthehungrylowell/ 5th Annual Grape Expectations Fundraiser Thank you for your support! Thursday, April 29, 2010 6:00-9:00pm Lowell Memorial Auditorium 50 E. Merrimack Street Lowell, MA Tickets: $45.00 per person Enjoy fine wine samples and hors d’oeuvres while bidding on distinctive silent auction items. E-mail us for more information Hunger Heroes Event Fall 2010 Hunger Heroes Appreciation Event Click here to see photos of the event 2009 Honorees: • Corporate Partner of the Year: GE Employees Good Neighbor Fund • Food Donor of the Year: Stonyfield Yogurt • Member Agency Partner of the Year: Our Neighbors Table Amesbury, MA • Volunteer (Individual or Group) of the Year: Greater Lowell Technical High School Community Service Learning Students (Organization and Work Learning Program)

“It’s important for our family to get this food once a month to fill the void that we have in our cabinets sometimes.”

*Mel and Agnes are in their 40’s and have 12 year old twins. Agnes has rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension, resulting in limited mobility. Mel continued working after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, and was in extreme pain. Now both are disabled and unable to work. Agnes says, "The food pantry helps us, especially in these times when a lot of people have limited income.” Mel and Agnes appreciate the nutritious food they receive, including fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, cereal and canned soup, from the Mobile Pantry program of the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

*Not their real names, but an actual family served by a local food pantry.

Enjoy a delicious blend of coffee created
just for the Food Bank!
Order a pound (or more) of the “Merrimack Valley Food Bank” coffee for yourself or as a gift, while helping us fight hunger. A portion of the sale of this exciting Columbian Blend coffee will go toward supporting our programs.
Click here

HUNGER BYTES

An estimated 49.1 million Americans, or 16.4 percent, are food insecure; meaning their access to enough food is limited by a lack of money and other resources. (USDA/ERS, Household Food Security in the United States: 2008)
The food hardship rate is even worse for households with children – nearly one in four such households suffered food hardship in 2009. (Food Research and Action Center –FRAC)
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank serves approximately 470,000 individuals annually through a network of food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, day and residential programs in 30 cities and towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Families who have difficulty buying fresh healthy foods experience types I & II diabetes, obesity and decreased learning abilities and performance in school.
We are entering a new era of food insecurity: the numbers of food insecure people are increasing, and there is no evidence to suggest that this will change.
Good nutrition through hunger relief programs like food pantries, meals programs, shelters and day programs alleviates health problems as well as the cost to our Commonwealth to treat residents whose health problems are related to hunger and poor nutrition.

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