All Faiths Food Bank launches third annual campaign against summer hunger

SARASOTA -- All Faiths Food Bank will launch a third annual Campaign Against Summer Hunger.

For 21,000 school children in Sarasota County, summer is the hungriest time of the year, and when we consider their younger siblings, the number of hungry children doubles.

The Campaign Against Summer Hunger kicks off at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the Van Wezel grand foyer. Program information and an announcement will accompany breakfast.

The Campaign Against Summer Hunger runs from April 1 through May 15.

The goal of the Campaign Against Summer Hunger is to raise money and food to feed every hungry child in the community all summer.

Donations of money will be matched up to $600,000. Last summer, the 2015 campaign raised $1.2 million and served 27,000 children nearly 2 million meals and snacks.

Community involvement in the Campaign Against Summer Hunger is crucial to its success. For example, on Saturday, April 2, Venice Avenue businesses and residents will "Paint Venice Orange" offering shoppers a variety of ways to support the campaign. Publix Supermarkets is hosting a "Stuff the Truck" food drive April 3. Shoppers are invited to visit one of four participating stores and drop off their donations at All Faiths Food Bank trucks in the parking lots. Participating Publix locations include Sarasota Village Plaza, The Landings, Sarasota Pavilion, and Jacaranda Commons in Venice.

This year's Campaign Against Summer Hunger sponsorship partners include Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Jewish Federation of Sarasota/Manatee, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Observer Media Group, Visit Sarasota and iHeart Media.

All Faiths Food Bank is a member of Feeding America and the hub of the hunger-relief system in DeSoto and Sarasota counties.

Last year, All Faiths Food Bank distributed 8 million pounds of food equating to 6.9 million meals through 185 pantries, soup kitchens, churches, community centers, schools, and programs.

Information: Call 941-379-6333 or go to allfaithsfoodbank.org.

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "All Faiths Food Bank launches third annual campaign against summer hunger ."