4,800-pound apple donation boosts High Plains Food Bank supplies as fundraising continues

Last Thursday, the High Plains Food Bank received 4,800 pounds of apples donated by the United Family, which includes United Supermarkets, Market Street and Amigos, as part of its “Take a Bite Out of Hunger” program.

The apple donation is one of many efforts and fundraising campaigns underway to help fight hunger and boost area food banks' supplies, including a golf tournament coming up later this month.

Sponsored by FirstFruits Marketing of Washington, based In Yakima, the “Take a Bite Out of Hunger” program’s ambition is to help feed the underserved while bringing attention to the problem of food insecurity in the United States through its collaboration with United and other partners that have been ongoing for 12 years.

“Over the past week, we had 50,000 pounds donated between Texas and New Mexico, and these apples you see here are 4,800 pounds for the High Plains Food Bank that we are proud to give,” said Dale McCutchen, United Supermarkets assistant director, in a news release.

The United Family donated 25 tons of apples to 11 Texas and New Mexico organizations as part of the program. Also receiving donated apples were:

South Plains Food Bank – Lubbock

Food Bank of West Central Texas – Abilene

Minnies Food Pantry – Dallas

West Texas Food Bank – Odessa/Midland

Concho Valley Regional Food Bank – San Angelo

Rust Street Ministries – San Angelo

Wichita Falls Area Food Bank – Wichita Falls

Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico – Clovis, NM

Roadrunner Food Bank – Albuquerque, NM

Storehouse Food Bank of NM – Albuquerque, NM

“We are so proud to continue the tradition of the Take a Bite Out of Hunger donations to food banks across our communities,” said Joseph Bunting, produce business director for the United Family. “Now in our 12th year of this program, we understand just how much these donations mean to the food banks and the families they serve.”

According to United Supermarkets, during its partnership in the “Take a Bite of Hunger” program, it has donated more than 500,000 pounds of apples and fed more than 167,000 families in the past 12 years.

Zivorad Filipovic, director of marketing and communications for the High Plains Food Bank, spoke about the impact of the donation.

“It is always incredible with the demand for fresh fruit with our programs that they are usually gone in a couple of weeks, even with the size of this donation,” Filipovic said. “United Supermarkets has always been a great partner with us to help us fight food insecurity in the area."

Filopovic said that due to their short shelf life and health benefits, fresh fruits and vegetables are always in high demand across the region. He said the impact of donations like this are so important to the community the food bank serves.

“Most of the clients we serve do not usually get their intake of fruits and vegetables; when we get stuff like this, it is very special,” Filipovic added.

Golf tournament to raise funds for food bank's Kids Cafe

Filipovic also spoke about the High Plains Food Bank’s upcoming Kids Café Golf Tournament, which is scheduled for Friday, May 13, at 11:30 a.m. at Ross Rogers Golf Course. The event will raise funds for the program that feeds about 600 to 1,000 kids a day throughout Amarillo who normally would not have meals available. Kids Café also provides food to at-risk seniors in need.

The tournament’s goal is to raise $100,000 to fund the Kid’s Café throughout the summer months. Last year’s tournament raised $75,000 for the program.

“The more money we raise, the more that goes to getting food to kids that badly need it,” Filopovic said. “With everything going up cost wise, it gets harder and harder to stretch our dollars to feed as many kids as possible.”

For more information on the tournament, go to https://www.hpfb.org/events/kidscafeclassic2022/

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: United Supermarkets donates 1000s of apples to High Plains Food Bank