Archive for » May 12th, 2012«

12 May 2012

Union County marks Mental Health Awareness Month with police training

What looked like a wrestling match or a judo class was, in fact, the latest in law enforcement training. Union County law enforcement and mental health professionals have joined forces to implement Crisis Intervention Team training. Known as CIT, this 40-hour joint training teaches police and mental health workers to respond to mental health calls using verbal de-escalation skills and less than lethal force.

Initiated by Prosecutor Theodore J. Romankow, Union County has held four CIT classes since March, 2011 with two more planned for June and October. Class size is limited to approximately 20 police and 10 mental health professionals due to the interactive training techniques employed. Prosecutor Romankow stated “The goal is to have 25 to 30 percent of the officers in each department certified in CIT.”

As Mental Health Awareness Month began, 12 Linden CIT officers gathered at the John H. Stamler Police Academy in Scotch Plains to supplement their 40-hour training. While the goal of CIT is to de-escalate a crisis situation so that the use of force is not necessary, “there are times when words just don’t work,” said Romankow.

Traditional police tactical training involves an escalation of force along a predetermined continuum, which may include pepper spray, batons and other equipment. While pain compliance may work under normal circumstances, a person suffering a psychotic episode or other mental health crisis does not feel the pain. This may lead to an escalation in the use of force and possible injury to the officer and the person with a mental illness.

Employing a combination of martial arts and wrestling moves, the officers were trained in techniques to take down a person quickly and efficiently. Led by Lt. Jonathan Parham and Sgt. Abdul Williams, both CIT trained officers with the Linden Police Department, the class was taken through a series of hands on exercises aimed at securing a combative or noncompliant person in the throws of a mental health crisis using minimal force.

The first tactical training of its kind statewide for CIT officers, the class was praised by both law enforcement and mental health communities as long overdue. “Individuals suffering from a mental health crisis obviously need immediate medical care. Neither they nor the officer involved should suffer physical injury in an effort to obtain that care if it can be avoided,” said Lt. Parham.


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12 May 2012

Families of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman receive outpouring of donations

MIAMI The mother of slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin will be able to take about eight months of paid leave from her county job, thanks to the generosity of county employees./pp Sybrina Fulton, who has worked at the Miami-Dade County housing authority for 23 years, collected $40,825 worth of donated vacation time, county records show. The paid time off is in addition to the nearly $100,000 the family raised on wepay.com and at rallies, which will be used to launch a criminal justice advocacy foundation in Trayvon’s name./pp The donated days are the latest in a mounting fortune in contributions that have amassed on both sides of the controversial case. With websites dedicated to the grieving parents of Trayvon Martin as well as for the man who killed him, and now even his attorney, funds gathered in the wake of the Feb. 26 tragedy promise to reach half a million dollars. Donors continue to reach into their pockets, even as each side criticizes the other’s purpose and intent in seeking donations./pp “They are using the money to continue the legacy of their son,” said Michael Hall, a graphic designer and marketing specialist who helped launch the Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation. The parents created the non-profit in March in response to their son’s killing. “They didn’t want a situation where people could say they were profiting off the loss of their son.”/pp Hall said Trayvon’s parents will become paid employees of the foundation, compensated for their time conducting speaking engagements and other advocacy work. He stressed that the foundation would keep Fulton and her ex-husband, Tracy Martin, at the levels of income they already made – not higher./pp Until now, the parents’ extensive travel expenses have been paid either by their attorney, Benjamin Crump, or by whoever invited them to the event they attended, he said. They turned all checks they received over to the Miami Foundation, a pre-existing and separate organization that is administering the Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation’s trust fund, and will help establish a board of directors, review expenditures and conduct audits, Hall said./pp The goal is to raise $1.5 million for programs such as teaching conflict resolution to teens./pp The first order of business: a movement to repeal the Stand Your Ground laws that exist around the nation. Fulton released a video on Friday, timed for Mother’s Day, on secondchancecampaign.org urging Americans to appeal to their respective governors to eliminate laws that offer increased immunity in self-defense cases./pp Hall said the details have not yet been finalized, but Fulton would presumably not begin getting a salary or per diem by the foundation until after her paid county leave runs out. He said he doesn’t know if she plans to leave her county job./pp Last month the Miami-Dade County Commission passed a resolution sponsored by Bruno Barreiro, Barbara Jordan and Jose “Pepe” Diaz to allow county employees to donate vacation time to Fulton or Trayvon’s aunt, Yolanda Knight Evans, a water and sewer customer-service representative. The $50,000 cap the commission set on the value of the time donated was reached in two weeks, county spokeswoman Suzy Trutie said./pp A similar measure was passed last year to help the families of two slain police officers./pp Records show 192 county employees gave Fulton some of their hours, and 70 people donated to Knight Evans./pp The donations for Fulton added up to 1,362 hours – a total of 34 paid weeks off. Trayvon’s aunt collected nearly nine weeks./pp County records show Fulton, who earns $68,768 a year, used funeral leave, four weeks of accumulated sick leave and 60 hours of vacation after her son was killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. She took two days of furlough in compliance with her county contract./pp Last week’s pay period was the first that tapped into the bank of donated time./pp Fulton is expected to appear before the commission on Tuesday to thank the county for its support./pp Records show the donors included deputy mayor Jack Osterholt, who gave her eight hours, and Stan Hills, the former head of the fire union./pp By far the most generous contributor was county clerk’s office employee Eric Cherelus, who gave Trayvon’s mother and aunt each an entire week of his vacation time./pp Tracy Martin is a truck driver, and it’s unclear whether he has been on paid or unpaid leave. He and Fulton were in London this week speaking at the University of London and were unavailable for comment./pp “Don’t forget there are two people who need to be taken care of here,” Hall said. “A lot of the media focuses on Sybrina and forgets that Trayvon had a father, who lived here and co-parented.”/pp Hall is the unpaid interim executive director of the foundation. He expects to employ both parents and Trayvon’s older brother Jahvaris Fulton, who is working as an intern on the foundation’s social-media strategy./pp “Any time some tragedy happens in society, you don’t know what impact it will have,” said Marlon Hill, the attorney who helped set up the foundation. “The whole intention of this foundation was to speak to the broader issues. We are using it as an opportunity to do something positive.”/pp Trayvon’s family are not the only ones raising money./pp Zimmerman, the man who shot their son, raised $204,000 in just three weeks with a PayPal account posted to a website. He spent about $50,000 before his defense lawyer ever learned of the fund’s swelling balance, his attorney, Mark O’Mara, acknowledged./pp O’Mara recently created a new fundraising site administered by a former IRS agent and registered with the Florida Division of Consumer Services. He told ABC News that he raised nearly $8,000 in the first few days the site was active./pp “I’m not going to be unrealistic to the fact that everyone is seeking donations in relation to this case, including the Trayvon Martin family,” O’Mara said at a recent press conference. “It seems as though we have become in this criminal justice system a system where we can ask other people to help us. That’s what we are doing.”/pp The fund now also includes the $150,000 balance transferred from the original PayPal account Zimmerman had set up./pp In a statement on his website, O’Mara said Zimmerman spent $7,000 on PayPal fees, $5,000 on bond, and $1,000 at the jail commissary and for phone cards. He also paid off existing debts and set up a secure living quarters while he awaits trial, the statement said, without offering dollar figures./pp “Roughly a third of the balance remains liquid and in Mr. Zimmerman’s possession for living expenses for the next few months,” O’Mara said. “So far, none of the funds have been applied to legal expenses.”/pp O’Mara did not return repeated messages seeking clarification./pp /pp “George, I’ll be donating monthly,” Facebook user Annette Elaine Kelly of Ontario posted on the Facebook page O’Mara set up for the case. “I hope that you have been truthful (I believe you have) and that people will give you a fair hearing. Take care.”/pp One post that has since been removed from the page asked why people supported Zimmerman. Many people commenting on the site believe the controversial neighborhood watch volunteer was railroaded by the media./pp “Fantastic. I have donated, a second time. ($50 the first time, $25 today). I plan on donating small amounts, but weekly, so George is reminded that we are still here, and we still care,” San Francisco attorney Michael Mortimer wrote. “I see where it fully discloses where my donations can go. Given George and his family need living expenses, I am glad to help provide for personal costs, and to pay legal expenses.”/pp The judge handling Zimmerman’s case asked for more information about Zimmerman’s fundraising, to determine whether his family misled the court at his bond hearing last month. O’Mara presented the family as indigent, and Zimmerman did not speak up to reveal the money he had collected. When the fundraising became known, the prosecution asked that Zimmerman’s $150,000 bond be increased, but he did not follow up the oral request with a formal written motion./pp /pp News of Zimmerman’s tally shocked Trayvon supporters, who believe Zimmerman should lose his bond for misleading the court./pp “The guy is living paycheck to paycheck, he kills a teenager and all of a sudden, he’s got $200,000?” said Sanford, Fla., minister H.D. Rucker. “What does that say about our society? There are racists out there.”/pp Attorney Crump said he’s puzzled./pp “I look at those donations, and I scratch my head,” Crump said. “I ask myself: ‘What cause is it exactly that they are contributing to?’ ”


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12 May 2012

Princes take part in charity polo match

He took to the stage to make a speech, and said: “You, our Olympians and
Paralympians, will inspire people up and down this country, and far beyond
its borders.

“For all of us mere mortals, and I include my brother, who still drones
on about beating Usain Bolt – which never counted because it was a false
start – this is a lifetime opportunity.

“We will witness an exceptional moment in our island history. The mood
in London will be electric, ecstatic and amazing. I simply can’t wait.”

He joked that he had been invited to take part in the Games, but said London
2012 chief Lord Coe did not have enough faith in him.

“Naturally I was asked to compete for Team GB in every sport, but sadly
Lord Coe said there were London pigeons with more athletic prowess than me,”
he said.

“Anyway, to adapt a famous phrase from Sir Steve Redgrave, if you see me
in a pair of Speedos by the swimming pool during the Olympics, shoot me!”


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12 May 2012

Teachers join forces to battle mental illness

About 200 teachers joined forces Saturday for a mental health conference aimed at helping kids with mental health problems and reducing the stigma.

Dr. Stanley Kutcher, an international leader in mental health research, advocacy and training from Dalhousie University in Halifax, was the keynote speaker.

“We know that mental disorders are the single largest illness in young people,” said Kutcher. “They affect the largest number of young people. And people that have these problems are very often not identified, not properly diagnosed and not effectively treated.”

The annual SSLI/Ozad Mental Health Conference took place Saturday at Roseland Gold and Curling Club.

Kutcher talked about the importance of implementing intervention strategies that will meet kids’ needs, as opposed to the needs of schools or the health system.

He also stressed the need to implement a mental health literacy curriculum that researchers have developed for schools.

“Youngsters are taught mental health literacy, teachers are taught mental health literacy,” said Kutcher. “From this basis kids can learn how to improve their mental health, how to identify a disorder if they have a problem, how to get help.”

“Theses things are really important because knowledge improves, the attitude toward mental health and mental disorders change so stigma does down, and their help seeking behaviour gets better.”

When kids feel ashamed or don’t get the help they need, he said it can lead to trouble.

“Instead of having a depression identified and effectively treated, that can lead to suicide,” said Kutcher. “Instead of having an anxiety disorder identified and effectively treated, that can lead to substance abuse. Instead of having attention deficit disorder or learning disability identified and effectively treated, that can lead to poor social outcomes, poor economic outcomes, all sorts of negative outcomes.”


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12 May 2012

Winter Birthday Study Links Season Of Birth, Mental Health

Winter Baby

By: Charles Choi, LiveScience Contributor
Published: 05/11/2012 02:14 PM EDT on LiveScience

The season in which a baby is born apparently influences the risk of developing mental disorders later in life, suggests a large new study.

The season of birth may affect everything from eyesight and eating habits to birth defects and personality later in life. Past research has also hinted the season one is born in might affect mental health, with scientists suggesting a number of reasons for this apparent effect.

“For example, maternal infections — a mother may be more likely to have the flu over the winter. Does this increase risk?” said researcher Sreeram Ramagopalan, an epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London. “Or diet. Depending on the season, certain foods — fruits, vegetables — are more or less available, and this may impact on the developing baby.”

“Or another key candidate is vitamin D, which is related to sunshine exposure,” Ramagopalan added. “During the winter, with a lack of sunshine, mums tend to be very deficient in vitamin D.”

However, this effect appears very small, and since past studies only looked at several thousand people at a time, there was a chance the link between birth month and later mental health might only be a statistical illusion. Also, prior research often pooled data from different nations, complicating analysis, since population trends can vary substantially between countries.

To pin down whether or not there was a link between seasons and the mind, Ramagopalan and his colleagues analyzed a very large number of births, all from the same country.

The scientists investigated whether the risk of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and recurrent depression was influenced by month of birth in England. This included nearly 58,000 patients with the disorders and more than 29 million people from the country’s general population. [10 Controversial Psychiatric Disorders]

The researchers found that all the mental disorders they looked at showed seasonal distributions. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder had statistically significant peaks in January, and significant lows in July, August and September. Depression saw an almost significant May peak and a significant November deficit.

“This result is further confirmation of seasonal variations in births of those later diagnosed with mental diseases,” said William Grant at the Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center at San Francisco, who did not take part in this research. “This implicates conditions during pregnancy. The two most likely factors are vitamin D status and temperature.”

The differences in risk between the disorders could be a result of different factors, or the same factor being important at different periods of pregnancy, Ramagopalan speculated. For example, the same risk factor — say, vitamin D levels — could be important in the third trimester for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and the second trimester for depression.

“The major implication is that once we understand the cause of these effects, then we can intervene in terms of disease prevention,” Ramagopalan told LiveScience.

Factors other than prenatal ones might be involved as well. For instance, children born late in the year may be relatively immature compared with older classmates, and thus do less well academically and socially, which might cause mental stress. “Further, we did not have details on socio-economic status or ethnicity, which may confound our results,” Ramagopalan said.

Future research to understand the causes of these effects “would require large birth cohort studies to follow individuals over time,” Ramagopalan said.

Ramagopalan and his colleagues detailed their findings online April 4 in the journal PLoS ONE.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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12 May 2012

Trayvon Martin’s mother got 8 months of donated vacation time


By FRANCES ROBLES

The Miami Herald


Updated: 11:26 a.m. Saturday, May 12, 2012

Posted: 11:24 a.m. Saturday, May 12, 2012

MIAMI —
The mother of slain teenager Trayvon Martin will be able to take about eight
months of paid leave from her county job, thanks to the generosity of county
employees.

Sybrina Fulton, who has worked at the Miami-Dade County housing authority for
23 years, collected $40,825 worth of donated vacation time, county records
show. The paid time off is in addition to the nearly $100,000 the family
raised on wepay.com and at rallies, which will be used to launch a criminal
justice advocacy foundation in Trayvon’s name.

The donated days are the latest in a mounting fortune in contributions that
have amassed on both sides of the controversial case. With websites
dedicated to the grieving parents of Trayvon Martin as well as for the man
who killed him, and now even his attorney, funds gathered in the wake of the
Feb. 26 tragedy are set to reach half a million dollars. Donors continue to
reach into their pockets, even as each side criticizes the other’s purpose
and intent in seeking donations.

“They are using the money to continue the legacy of their son,” said Michael
Hall, a graphic designer and marketing specialist who helped launch the
Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation. The parents created the nonprofit in
March in response to their son’s killing. “They didn’t want a situation
where people could say they were profiting off the loss of their son.”

Hall said Trayvon’s parents will become paid employees of the foundation,
compensated for their time conducting speaking engagements and other
advocacy work. He stressed that the foundation would keep Fulton and her
ex-husband, Tracy Martin, at the levels of income they already made — not
higher.

Until now, the parents’ extensive travel expenses have been paid either by
their attorney, Benjamin Crump, or by whoever invited them to the event they
attended, he said. They turned all checks they received over to the Miami
Foundation, a pre-existing and separate organization that is administering
the Justice for Trayvon Martin Foundation’s trust fund, and will help
establish a board of directors, review expenditures and conduct audits, Hall
said.

The goal is to raise $1.5 million for programs such as teaching conflict
resolution to teens.

The first order of business: a movement to repeal the Stand Your Ground laws
that exist around the nation. Fulton released a video on Friday, timed for
Mother’s Day, on secondchancecampaign.org urging Americans to appeal to
their respective governors to eliminate laws that offer increased immunity
in self-defense cases.

Hall said the details have not yet been finalized, but Fulton would presumably
not begin getting a salary or per diem by the foundation until after her
paid county leave runs out. He said he doesn’t know if she plans to leave
her county job.

Last month the Miami-Dade County Commission passed a resolution sponsored by
Bruno Barreiro, Barbara Jordan and Jose “Pepe” Diaz to allow county
employees to donate vacation time to Fulton or Trayvon’s aunt, Yolanda
Knight Evans, a water and sewer customer-service representative. The $50,000
cap the commission set on the value of the time donated was reached in two
weeks, county spokeswoman Suzy Trutie said.

A similar measure was passed last year to help the families of two slain
police officers.

Records show 192 county employees gave Fulton some of their hours, and 70
people donated to Knight Evans.

The donations for Fulton added up to 1,362 hours — a total of 34 paid weeks
off. Trayvon’s aunt collected nearly nine weeks.

County records show Fulton, who earns $68,768 a year, used funeral leave, four
weeks of accumulated sick leave and 60 hours of vacation after her son was
killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. She took two days
of furlough in compliance with her county contract.

Last week’s pay period was the first that tapped into the bank of donated time.

Fulton is expected to appear before the commission on Tuesday to thank the
county for its support.

Records show the donors included deputy mayor Jack Osterholt, who gave her
eight hours, and Stan Hills, the former head of the fire union.


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12 May 2012

Charities owed thousands by Pompey

Portsmouth FC owes more than £8,000 to charities

12:10pm Saturday 12th May 2012 in News


By Bethan Phillips, Reporter

Charities in Hampshire could be left out of pocket because of the financial woes at Portsmouth Football Club.

The club went into administration in February, with a recent report showing it has debts of £58m.

And administrators PKF have now revealed that nearly £8,400 is owed to charities.

Among those affected is the Rainbow Centre in Fareham, which helps children with Cerebral Palsy, Southampton-based children’s charity U Support and Eastleigh grief support line
Simon Says.

The cash was raised from a £2 administration fee added to the ticket price at the beginning of the 2011/2012 season, which fans were told would be donated to charity.

But the money has not materialised – leaving the charities owed totals of between £200 and £800.

The administrators say that the charities will be dealt with alongside other creditors – and will only get a proportion of the money they are owed if a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) can be
reached to bring the club out of administration.

The company added that it took immediate action when it became administrator at the club to prevent more debts to charities being run up.

A spokesman said: “One of the first things we did was to stop the admin charges.

“The charities will now be treated as creditors and they will get a percentage of what they’re owed if a CVA is agreed.

“They’re ranked alongside all the other creditors.

“It’s a horrible situation and it’s something that should never have been allowed to happen.”

Despite the problems with getting hold of the cash raised by Portsmouth Football Club, the Rainbow Centre said it would continue to try to work with the club.

Chief Executive D’Arcy Myers said: “Rainbow is wholly funded by the community and we pride ourselves on our strong relationships.

“Over the years Pompey have been good supporters and bucket collections have been a major part of this support.

“I would like to think we will be able to continue this relationship.”


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12 May 2012

How can we protect our children's mental health?

BY KATHLEEN ARMSTRONG, PhD.

Special correspondent

Published: May 11, 2012

Updated: 05/11/2012 01:37 pm


Last week (May 6-9) was National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which is meant to increase awareness about the importance of children’s mental health and reinforce the belief that every child deserves to experience joy, have high self-esteem, make friends, and believe that he or she can succeed.

Unfortunately, one in five children in the United States will suffer significant mental health problems, which are linked to poor school performance, behavior problems and greater likelihood of school dropout, substance abuse, suicide, long-term health issues and criminal behavior. Less than 20 percent of these children will receive the help they need.

Mental health problems even can be observed as early as infancy, and are much more likely to occur in children with certain biological and/or environmental risk factors. Biological risk factors include pregnancies complicated by maternal drug and alcohol use (illegal as well as prescribed), developmental delays (especially in speech and language), hyperactivity, temperament, aggression and gender. Environmental risk includes poverty, exposure to violence, parenting styles, viewing media violence, and poor quality child care and schooling. More risk factors will produce poorer outcomes.

What can we do to protect children against risk and promote good mental health?

The No. 1 resource is a healthy family. Nurturing and supportive parental relationships promote children’s development by providing security, warmth, love and unconditional acceptance. Numerous scientific studies have proven that consistent and caring relationships during the first years of life nourish the brain, and can prevent or even reverse the damaging effects of risk factors. A child protected by supportive adult relationships will learn to cope with everyday challenges, including serious stresses, such as the loss of a loved one or an injury.

Parenting styles can also affect children’s mental health. Research has shown that a parenting style that is too harsh (authoritarian) is likely to produce children who are obedient, but less happy and self-confident. Too soft (permissive) parenting produces children who are spoiled and self-centered, and who do less well in school. Neglectful (uninvolved) parenting tends to result in children with poor self-control and lower self-esteem. Just right (authoritative) parenting, a parenting style that is moderately demanding and responsive, produces children who are the most happy, capable and successful. Authoritative parents set and reinforce reasonable limits, are responsive and willing to listen. They see discipline as a teaching tool rather than a punishment, and use discipline to help children to learn from their mistakes.

Early child care settings, preschools and schools also are key players in establishing good mental health. Teachers and other providers promote well-being in children by creating a sense of belonging through the relationships they provide. The relationship that teachers establish with children is the most powerful teaching tool available, because children learn that they are valued by these important adults. Mental health can be strengthened by encouraging children to participate in activities and make choices, ignoring or redirecting problem behavior, and focusing on positive behaviors. Teachers (and others) who catch children being good create positive moments during which children feel better about themselves, and learn how to act in the future.

From pregnancy through adolescence, the environments where children live and learn and the quality of their relationships with adults have a significant impact on their mental health.

Kathleen Armstrong is a clinical professor and director of pediatric psychology at USF Health.




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12 May 2012

Settlement to improve mental health for deaf

Advertisement

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge has approved the settlement of a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 1,000 deaf Missourians, claiming the state failed to provide adequate mental health services for the deaf.

U.S. District Judge Matt Whitworth approved the settlement Thursday in Jefferson City in the suit filed by the Missouri Association of the Deaf and 13 named plaintiffs. The suit accused the state of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing adequate mental health care for the deaf.

The settlement’s provisions require greater availability of sign language interpreters, development of outpatient and inpatient centers staffed with clinicians and case managers trained in aiding the deaf and better training to ensure mental health professionals can assist the deaf.

The 2010 suit said the lack of sign language interpreters at mental health facilities resulted in many deaf people failing to get proper treatment. An advocate for the deaf blamed three suicides in St. Louis on inadequate mental health care. The suit claimed the deaf sometimes fail to receive treatment because of a lack of a sign language interpreter.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs say about 20 percent of deaf persons in need of mental health services are children.

Ella Eakins, president of the Missouri Association of the Deaf, said the settlement “addresses concerns from deaf Missourians dating back many years about inadequate mental health services for deaf persons in crisis.”

Messages left yesterday with a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Social Services were not returned.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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12 May 2012

Send Your Food Donations With the Mail Today

 

Want to make a food donation to your local pantry – without having to leave your house?

The national Stamp Out Hunger food drive offers just such an opportunity.

Today, the nation’s 210,000 mail carries will pick up non-perishable items left out by home mailboxes and take them to a local hunger relief organization.

Now in its 20th year, Stamp Out Hunger has been referred to as the largest, single-day food drive in the nation. The food drive is organized in a partnership between Campbell Soup Company and the National Association of Letter Carries (NALC).

“We’re incredibly excited for the 20th anniversary of the Stamp Out Hunger food drive,” Fredric Rolando, NALC president, said in a recent press release. “We’re asking people across the country for their support to make this year’s drive the most successful in its 20 year history. It’s so easy to make a donation: simply leave a bag of non-perishable food by your mailbox to help neighbors in need. That’s all it takes.”

Last year, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive collected 70.2-million pounds of food.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual study measuring food security in the United States, in 2011, there were nearly 49-million Americans living in food-insecure homes. According to the release, more than 16-million food-insecure Americans are children – more than 1 in 5 children potentially face knowing hunger.

In the Montgomery County Area, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive is the single most important event of the incoming summer season for several of the local food banks.

“This is our biggest donation of the year, and we count on it to fill our shelves for the lean summer months,” Rebecca Kelly, director of the Inter-Faith Food Cupboard, said in a correspondence. “Since many of our donors take a vacation from their activism in the summer, we desperately need strong involvement in Saturday’s food drive!”

Kelly, in a previous Patch article, said in 2010, the Inter-Faith Food Cupboard supplied food aid to over 5,000 people in the Greater Eastern Montgomery County area, with well over 100 orders every week.

“Please, consider leaving a grocery bag filled with non-perishables for your letter carrier,” Kelly said.

—

Want to Participate in the National Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive?

  • When – Saturday, May 12
  • Time – During your regular mail pick up
  • Where – Your mailbox

Participants in the National Stamp Out Hunger food drive are asked to a sturdy bag containing non-perishable foods next to their mail boxes prior to the time of their regular Saturday mail delivery on May 12. Such food may include:

  • Canned soup
  • Canned vegetables
  • Pasta, rice or cereal

—

For more information, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger, and follow the drive a

www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger.

For more information about the Inter-Faith Food Cupboard of Abington, call 215-885-2234 or visit www.i-fha.org/Food_Cupboard.html.


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