Friday, February 24, 2023
Photo by: Michael J. Elderman
Feeding America Riverside |San Bernardino (FARSB) was thrilled to have hosted Curbing Hunger, formally known as Ladles of Love, on Tuesday, February 21st, for an in-person lunch at our food bank! This soup-styled meal serves as a reminder that there are members of our community battling food insecurity daily and relying on soup kitchens and donations.
Within the Inland Empire, 1 in 10 people are food insecure, and over half are children. Our organization wants to work with our partners and programs to remove barriers that hinder our community’s access to nutritious foods. These barriers include inflation, access to healthy food, and the stigma towards food insecurity. Our goals are to feed more people, increase access to nutritious food, and increase awareness of food insecurity through education.
We had an incredible afternoon acknowledging all our volunteers and donors who have helped us continue our mission for a hunger-free IE. Development Director, Angela, thanked and recognized all our sponsors: Molina Healthcare, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hodgdon Group Realty Inc., Cardenas Markets Foundation, Wild Goose Coffee Roasters, and Norms Restaurants with a certificate.
While our CEO, Carolyn, followed up with an impeccable informative speech sharing light on the daily issues people face in the Inland Empire. “Food insecurity remains present due to barriers like unemployment, inflation, and the general cost of living in California,” stated Carolyn.
During the award ceremony, Volunteer Supervisor, Evelen, announced the three Top Volunteer groups and individuals that have dedicated much time and work here in our facility. Louis Vuitton was awarded “Breakout Corporate Volunteer of 2022”, Chase Bank won the “Top Corporate Volunteer of 2022”, and Mark and Cindy Jenson were the winners of the “Top Individual Volunteers of 2022.” “Every day, I am amazed at our volunteers who show up-rain or shine, to help us with our mission of assisting those that face food insecurities every year,” stated Evelen.
At the end of the event, the Development Team provided guided tours to the sponsors and the volunteers throughout the warehouse! Some guests purchased FARSB T-shirts and ceramic bowls made by high school students from various Riverside Unified High Schools. A quick fact about these ceramic bowls is that they were donated to us by students from the art programs from Arlington, Ramona, Riverside Poly, North, and Martin Luther King High Schools! Thanks to their generosity, we were able to help raise thousands of dollars in donations over the years.
Curbing Hunger embodies building community and creating a future where people do not go hungry. We are thankful to be able to count on many supporters and hope to continue another successful event next year!