ALBANY — The representative from Georgia’s second Congressional District praised the efforts of an Albany-based anti-hunger agency and those who support it, calling them “committed” to bettering society.
Speaking at the Feeding Hope Awards banquet for the Food Bank of Southwest Georgia Thursday night, Congressman Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, spoke of the organization’s zeal for supplying area agencies with food for hungry residents of 20 Southwest Georgia counties.
“You provide a safety net for some 20 counties ... somebody here has commitment,” Bishop said. “And tonight we honor that spirit of commitment to what is needed here in Southwest Georgia.
“I celebrate the fact tonight that all of you at the Food Bank of Southwest Georgia do not allow yourselves to be stumbling blocks, but rather the stepping stones for those in need,” he said.
The banquet was held to thank the food bank’s sponsors and supporters for their commitment to the agency through the last fiscal year.
Brett Kirkland, president of the food bank, told the nearly 300 guests in attendance that the organization had overcome what at first appeared to be insurmountable challenges during the last fiscal year, but because of their help, he said the food bank ended up having a successful year.
“Not only did we overcome challenges, we ended up having one of our best years and that is largely because of you,” he said.
An economic downturn coupled with scarcity of USDA excess commodities and organizational challenges like a change in leadership and the implementation of a new computer inventory system forced staff at the food bank to hunker down during the latter part of the year, Kirkland said.
“But the future is looking bright,” he said. “The flow of commodities is expected to regain shortly, and we plan on increasing local collection efforts by placing collection points at local retailers.”
Additionally, Kirkland says plans are in the works for the food bank to partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany through a collaborative effort with M&M Mars to provide a hot meal to children in the program.
