Archive for September, 2011

Fans with Cans” is the theme for Hunger Bowl IV, the Boise State-University of Nevada, Reno football game on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Bronco Stadium. This year’s annual food-and-funds drive, the first “bowl game” of the season, will take place at a time when emergency food supplies are in seriously short supply across the state.All the fans who attend the game, even those without tickets who are there to enjoy the tailgating, are encouraged to bring canned food items and cash donations. All donations will benefit The Idaho Foodbank, the Salvation Army and the Boise Rescue Mission. Collection totes (large boxes on pallets) will be located at stadium entrances and other points around Bronco Stadium. Hunger Bowl volunteers will pull wagons through the parking lots to make it easy for tailgaters to make cash donations or drop off their non-perishable food items.

Nearly 235,000 Idahoans (1 in 6) live day to day unsure of their food supply, including 95,000 (nearly 1 in 4) children. Unfortunately, at the same time, emergency food supplies are at all-time lows. The Idaho Foodbank had a 19% increase in food distribution last year and has seen distribution climb more than 90% in the past four years. The Salvation Army food pantry saw a 26% increase in single women, a 35% increase in seniors and a 16% increase in children just in the first six months of 2011.

The situation is so serious that 11 of the Treasure Valley’s largest hunger-relief organizations banded together this summer to ask the public for help to meet the record-breaking demand for food.

The goal for Hunger Bowl IV is to generate the food needed to continue to fight hunger locally and throughout the state.

At the game, the volunteers’ wagons and totes will be clearly marked with the Hunger Bowl logo, and more volunteers will help with food collection in the parking lots and at the stadium gates.

The Broncos and the Wolf Pack will kick-off at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1.