Because of the downturn of the economy here in the U.S., coupled with high unemployment, many of our own citizen’s are suffering hardships and living closer to the edge than they ever dreamed. Rising costs for fuel, housing and general expenses have made it more difficult to sustain a healthy life style for millions of families here in the United States.
U.S. statistics indicate that up to 27% of the food processed for sale in the United States is wasted, enough to feed millions of people. At the same time it is estimated that nearly 15% of the population suffers from hunger, and one in five children goes to bed hungry every night through no fault of their own.
With thousands of military personnel coming home and many of them being released from active duty, it causes real hardship for many of them in the wake of not being able to secure immediate employment. Then there are the nearly 63,000 homeless veterans and 1.5 million living in poverty. 14,000 at-risk veterans are single women with children.
That is why we have established the Mercy Food Distribution Program. Through alliances with food producers, food brokers and other food banks, we are able to secure millions of pounds of USDA inspected fresh fruits and vegetables and distribute these fruits and vegetables to other food banks, churches and para-church groups.
During the period of November through May of each year, over 25% of nearly all of the produce consumed in North America enters this country through the town of Nogales, Arizona. As you will learn in the short video clip, millions of pounds of perfectly good produce are dumped in the landfills at Nogales each year that can be rescued and used by the needy. And that’s what we are doing, rescuing this good produce.
To make the fruits and vegetables available to the elderly, the children and to others ‘on the edge’, we need ‘transportation dollars’ to get the produce to our established groups for distribution to those needy families in a timely manner.
You can help us bridge this gap and rescue millions of pounds of produce and make it available to the needy. You can also organize a food distribution event to help those in your local area. We can provide you with assistance and coaching in setting up a food distribution event. For more information on how you can participate, or to determine the costs for your specific area, contact info@mercyairlift.org or click on the donate button to make a contribution.
Please click here to donate and be part of rescuing these fruits and vegetables. Your help is needed and you can make an immediate difference to those in need right here in our own country.
If you want to volunteer with us and others in helping those in need, or if you would like information on setting up a food distribution event, please call us at 1.800.637.2965 or email us at info@mercyairlift.org .