Relief agencies get Project Bread grants

LYNN – The Lynn City Mission, Peabody’s Haven for Hunger, and the First Congregational Church of Revere Food Pantry all received grants Wednesday from Project Bread.The list of grant recipients also included the Salvation Army in Lawrence.Project Bread, among the state’s leading anti-hunger organizations, distributed $254,800 to 44 emergency food services at its annual Appreciation and Grant Award Ceremony at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston earlier this month.Since the year began, the organization has contributed a total of $365,300 for these and other nutrition outreach programs.The North Shore agencies are among 400 emergency food programs in 128 cities and towns statewide to receive money from Project Bread, which supports food pantries, meal programs, food banks, and food salvage programs. The grants come from donations raised during Project Bread’s annual Walk for Hunger, the nation’s oldest continuing pledge walk. The 40th Walk for Hunger raised a record $3.8 million.This year’s Appreciation and Grant Ceremony not only honored walkers, donors, and volunteers who raised the money, but also recognized U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern from Massachusetts’ 3rd Congressional District and vice-chairman of the House Rules Committee.As co-chairman of the House Hunger Caucus and co-chairman of the Congressional Hunger Center, McGovern has worked tirelessly on behalf of the hungry and poor. Accepting his Appreciation Award, the congressman spoke of the pressing need in these hard times.”Hunger is a political condition,” he said. “I say that over and over again because I believe we have all the resources and all the infrastructure to end hunger. What we need is the political will.”Project Bread-funded agencies reported serving 43.4 million meals in 2007, the highest number of meals since the organization started counting. The demand has shown no sign of abating, with the current food and fuel crisis compounded by national economy woes.Project Bread will present “startling statistics and compelling analyses” about the causes and prevalence of hunger in Massachusetts in its 2008 Status Report due to be released next month.Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread, said raising money to fund the emergency food programs took tremendous effort. “Approximately 100,000 people are behind the money raised through the Walk for Hunger,” she said. “We applaud the corporate and individual sponsors, the 50,000 donors, the 2,000 volunteers, and the 40,000 walkers who turned out to help these Massachusetts programs.”Over 60 North Shore agencies receiving grants from Project Bread have made significant contributions in the fight against hunger, Parker said.”We have been receiving grants from Project Bread for seven years,” said VeAnn Campbell, director of St. Joseph’s Food Pantry in Salem. “It doesn’t take us long to spend it. St. Joseph’s Food Pantry serves about 2,000 meals per month. In preparation for the holiday season, the pantry is purchasing 800 hams for Thanksgiving and even more turkeys for Christmas. Thank God for Project Bread. We wouldn’t be here without them.”