Border Media-South Texas Food Bank two-week radio drive for the hungry

Statistics show the need

By SALO OTERO

The fifth annual Border Media-South Texas Food Bank radio drive for the hungry of the Laredo area is June 28 to July 11 over the five Border Media stations — La Ley 100.5, Hot 106.1, Digital 107.3, The Works 94.9 and Norteno 1490.

The radio drive is a fundraiser for the South Texas Food Bank mission of feeding the hungry. Serving the community for 20-plus years, the food bank’s scope of service has increased dramatically during these difficult economic times.

The announcement of the radio drive and statistics from a recent hunger study were announced at a press conference Tuesday April 20 at Embassy Suites.

“We certainty believe in the food bank mission and have seen first-hand the need,” Ana Rivera Soto, general sales manager of Border Media, said, noting that “our trips to promote the Census 2010 in the colonias and other areas of Laredo have exposed us to awareness of the need for food among our Laredoans. We are happy to continue as partners with the South Texas Food Bank in this noble mission.”

South Texas Food Bank executive director Alfredo Castillo praised Border Media. “Their partnership with the food bank has been golden in helping feed Laredo’s hungry. Obviously, hunger exists in our own backyard. And hunger is unacceptable this day in age in our Laredo and these United States.”

The STFB distributes supplemental food to 21,000 families monthly in an eight-county area from Rio Grande City to Del Rio. “Our clients live in one of the poorest sections of the state and nation where the poverty rate is between 33 percent and 42 percent,’’ Castillo said. “That is double the state average and triple the national.”

Olga Maldonado, an executive with AEP-Texas and president of the South Texas Food Bank board, said, “The hunger study the food bank staff conducted recently in cooperation with Feeding America reveals the tremendous need.”

During the two-week period of June 28 to July 11 Laredo radio listeners can tune in to BM stations 24 hours per day and call in donations and pledges to the South Texas Food Bank main number 956-726-3120 during 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office hours and to any of these three numbers after 5 p.m., 956 – 771-5389, 774-8318 or 771-5545. The three numbers are courtesy of Cricket Communicatons of Laredo, Johnny Costales, district director. Donations can be sent directly to the South Texas Food Bank, PO Box 2007, Laredo, Tex.,. 78044. All are tax deductible.

To raise the funds, the STFB is selling radio sponsorships for donations
of $1,500, $5,000 and $10,000. The sponsors name will be aired throughout the radio drive 150 times during 30-second promos to be shared with three other sponsors. The $5,000 donor will also receive a personal interview during the radio drive. The $10,000 or more donor will have a two-hour radio remote broadcast from their place of business. Additionally, sponsor donors will receive $32 tickets to the Laredo Energy Arena-South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls concert featuring Three Dog Night on Aug. 25. The $1,500 sponsor gets four concert tickets, the $5,000 sponsor six tickets and the $10,000 sponsor 10 tickets. Empty Bowls is honoring State Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) for her contribution to the food bank mission of feeding the hungry.

(Salo Otero is director of development for the South Texas Food Bank)

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