Society of St. Andrew Releases New Statistics and Current Highlights

Date Issued: 9/8/06
For Period: January 1 – August 31, 2006

STATISTICS
Total Pounds Saved: 21,202,486
Total Gleaning Network Pounds: 12,088,849
Total Potato Project Pounds: 9,113,637
Total Servings Provided: 63,607,458 (one pound of produce equals approx. 3 servings)
# Gleaning & Potato Project Events: 2,071
# Volunteers: 22,561
# Harvest of Hope Events: 11 events scheduled (6 conducted so far / 331 participants)
Historical total lbs. / servings saved
& distributed by SoSA 1983 to date: 518.5 Million pounds / 1.55 Billion servings
Admin. & Fundraising Overhead: 6.8% (93.2¢ of every dollar provides food for the hungry)
Cost per lb. of food saved: About 6¢
Cost per serving provided: About 2¢

HIGHLIGHTS

Ø SoSA PASSED THE 500 MILLION POUNDS MILESTONE! As of the end of August SoSA’s historical total of pounds saved/distributed to the hungry is 518,596,918 — 1.555 BILLION servings!

Ø SoSA VBS mission project makes heroes of kids – 145 churches in 30 states adopted SoSA as their mission project for Vacation Bible School this summer. By collecting pennies and other coins, their children became “Heroes Fighting Hunger.” The $32,000 the kids contributed will provide more than 600,000 pounds (that’s 1.8 million servings) of fresh, nutritious produce to the nation’s hungry people.

Ø Advent is just around the corner – “Signs and Wonders” is the title and focus of SoSA’s Advent Devotion and Mission Giving Program this year. Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, of the Mississippi United Methodist conference, contributed the devotional readings for each of the Sundays of Advent. The devotional program will guide you through Advent with daily scripture, reflection and prayer while offering an opportunity to share in the work Jesus has called us to – that of feeding the hungry. For a free sample kit, order online at www.endhunger.org/advent.htm, by phone at 800-333-4597, or by email at church@endhunger.org.

Ø Mississippi Sweet Corn Co-Op Coup – SoSA-MS regional office copped a coup with the Delta Harvest Corn Co-Op. This second-year endeavor produces sweet corn for major grocery retailers nationwide. In only it’s first year of operation, SoSA-MS was given extensive access to Delta Harvest’s rejected (below-standard quality) produce. With more than 864,000 pounds of sweet corn saved and distributed to agencies in MS and 6 nearby states, SoSA-MS is well on its way to the biggest first-year SoSA operation ever! SoSA-MS regional director Bob Fritchey reported, “Everyone who has called from the various agencies that got corn said their hungry clients told them it was the best, sweetest corn they’ve ever had in their lives. And these were the ‘rejects’!” Next year’s Delta Harvest project is expected to be even bigger.

Ø “Partner Churches” feed the hungry – 214 churches in 26 states partnered with the Society of St. Andrew through the first half of the year to feed the hungry. Their combined donations of $224,178 provided nearly four million pounds (11.2 million servings) of fresh, nutritious food to the nation’s hungry people. For information about SoSA’s “Partner Church” program: 800-333-4597; church@endhunger.org; www.endhunger.org.

Ø Grant to open full-time SoSA operation in southern Georgia – The St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation in St. Marys, GA, has awarded SoSA a $135,000 grant to establish and operate a full-time regional Gleaning Network office in the agriculture-rich southern half of the state. The new office will be located in Tifton.

Ø SoSA is active coast-to-coast, distributing food to all 48 contiguous states. SoSA has 43 Gleaning Network offices in 22 states: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MI, MO, MS, NM, NC, NY, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Current news and information available at http://www.endhunger.org/; click the spinning “News-Press Release.” n