Arkansas Foodbank Network Set to "Drive Out Hunger" In Golf for Food Tournament

Speaker of the House-designate Robbie Wills will serve as Honorary Chair of the Arkansas Foodbank Network's 12th Annual Golf for Food Tournament. This event will be held Monday, September 15th at Diamante Country Club in Hot Springs Village.

Golfers of all skill levels are invited to participate in the four-person scramble event, which will commence with a shotgun start at 1:00 pm. Registration begins at 11:00, and golfers will be treated to a delicious lunch catered by Golden Corral at 11:30. The cost of a foursome is $1,000, which can provide up to 5,000 meals for hungry Arkansans.

Golf for Food is organized by Harvesters, the Arkansas Foodbank Network's young professionals group. According to Leighanne Alford, chair of the tournament, "Golf for Food is a fun and exciting way to help alleviate hunger in our state." Prizes will be awarded to flight winners, as well as winners of the Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin, and Putting Contests. Tournament participants are also invited to try their luck at the Hole-in-One contest, which boasts a prize of a luxurious golf vacation package to one of over forty country club destinations in the United States.

Established in 1984, the Arkansas Foodbank Network acquires and distributes more than 8.5 million pounds of food annually to more than 450 member agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, low-income daycare facilities, and other emergency feeding programs, in 33 central and southern Arkansas counties.

The Arkansas Foodbank Network is a member of America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Foodbank Network, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, and Heart of Arkansas United Way. To learn more about the Arkansas Foodbank Network, please visit www.arkansasfoodbank.org Harvester President, Nick Roach, Vice President of Central Bank took time out to visit with us and shares his thoughts about the tournament and Foodbank.

Nick has been involved in the young professional group for 5 years and is also serving on the Foodbank Board of Directors. "Phillip Jett, who was chairman of the board for Foodbank suggested I may want to help with the tournament. And I did," Says Nick.

"I got involved with the Foodbank not knowing that I was going to have such a passion for the helping the hungry," says Nick. "When I found out how many people in Arkansas have a need for food, I was overwhelmed." The Foodbank makes such a difference in the communities that it serves, for instance, last year the Foodbank distributed 8.5 million pounds of food. That translates to about 34,000 a day. In any given week, the Foodbank serves 23,000 Arkansans.

Leighanne Alford is chair of the tournament and according to Nick she and is doing a fantastic job. " I am very pleased to have her at the helm of this function," says Nick. As chair of the Harvesters, Nick's job is to oversee the facilitation of both the golf tournament and the non-profit's spring event, Empty Bowls. "Our goal as a group is to grow both events and the Harvesters group, so the fundraising events grow to be more successful each year, he concludes. "We have a great team of young professionals that have all been dedicated to this tournament, and have had a great turnout of new volunteers this year that have contributed signifi cantly to the success of this tournament," says Nick.

And is Nick signed up to play on the 15th? "I am very enthused, this is my first time playing at Diamante and the course is one of the best in Arkansas," says Nick. "I have never made a hole in one, I have come very close, but for any lucky golfers who do make a hole in one at Diamante on September 15, they will win a golf vacation to their choice of one of more than 40 luxury country club golf courses around the country in destinations like South Carolina and Las Vegas.

In Arkansans almost half a million people live in poverty, and many are forced to make tough decisions between buying food and paying for other necessities like rent and medicine. I am sure you have seen several articles, nationally and locally how the economy is effecting the charitable organizations, the Foodbank is no different. In addition to receiving less donations as a result of the decrease in disposable income, the Foodbank has seen a rise in demand for food, with people having to make the decision of food, rent, medicine and they can only choose two.

What is something about Foodbank that the average joe wouldn't know?

For every dollar the Foodbank receives, it can provide up to 5 meals to hungry Arkansans

What will the funds from the tourney benefit?

Golf for Food will benefit the Foodbank's Fall Feeding Programs. These programs include:

Kids Cafe - an after-school feeding program in partnership with eleven Boys and Girls Clubs in central Arkansas;

Backpacks for Kids - program providing underserved children with food for the weekends and holidays. At the end of each week children involved in the program are able to pick up from their Guidance Counselor a backpack of food that has been previously prepared by volunteers. These packs are fi lled with nutritious, childfriendly meals that children are able to prepare themselves at home.

Fresh Produce Initiative - a program in which the Foodbank acquires donated truckloads of fresh fruits and vegetables and makes them available to its clients in 33 central and southern Arkansas counties Rural Delivery - ensuring that our partners outside central Arkansas have access to the food their clients need; and

Senior Supplement - a partnership with CareLink and the Visiting Nurse Association to distribute groceries to low-income seniors whose social security checks do not cover all necessary expenses