SALT LAKE CITY — One in 10 children in Utah risk missing a meal each and every day, according to the Utah Food Bank. That's why Governor Spencer Cox was on hand Thursday to kick off a weekend event allowing the community to pitch in to help their neighbors.
Cox dropped off the first bag of donations for Saturday’s statewide feed Utah Food Drive, and he’s urging those who can to do the same.
"When we think about kids. that's when it gets real for all of us," said Cox. "As moms and dads, the idea of sending a child to bed just pains our soul."
Utah Food Bank has warehouses throughout the state, and some of the shelves in the Salt Lake facility are currently empty.
"During the holiday season our shelves fill up quickly, people love to give during the holidays," said Ginette Bott, President of the Utah Food Bank. "Here we are in March and you can see our shelves are empty, so as we go through this process Saturday, we hope to fill the shelves of pantries across the state."
Bott knows food and housing costs are squeezing families every day and many can’t donate. In previous years, more than 1.5 million pounds of food have been collected during the push, and number she doesn't anticipate hitting this year.
"What we do hope is the folks and families who have the ability to share will make that extra effort, and perhaps instead of one bag, maybe its two," Bott shared.
And those one or two bags Saturday, or any day of the year, can make a difference.
"Our focus needs to be on our children," explained Bott. "We need to be sure we are taking care of that future generation."
Anyone would like to donate can leave a bag of non-perishable food outside their front door by 9 a.m. Saturday and someone from the neighborhood will come by to pick it up and get it to the food bank.
