LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Dare to Care food bank provides food services for 13 counties in Kentucky and Indiana. Last year, the organization distributed enough food for 20 million meals. To continue serving the community, volunteers hope the Hunger Walk and raise more funds.
“Food is a human right, it’s not only if you can afford it,” said Ben Kresse, St. Xavier theology teacher and service program coordinator.
Dare to Care started in 1969, when a 9-year-old boy died of malnutrition in his Louisville home. The food bank was created to make sure nothing like that happened again, but the need has only grown stronger.
“If you look at this warehouse and how large it is, you start to see that the need is so great and with all the food they have," Kresse said. "It doesn’t begin to address all the needs that they have in Louisville and the surrounding area."
About 170,000 people in the Louisville area do not have the food they need day to day to live a healthy life. That’s why volunteers like Kresse are crucial. He’s been volunteering with Dare to Care since 1991. And over the years, he’s recruited students to help out as well.
“If you are ever in a school and you have a kid that is hungry, it’s going to be very hard for them to be educated and I think as long as you can feed a child, you can educate a child,” said Kresse.
Students at St. X spend a few hours every month at the food bank. They have a system going where they grab a bag, fill it up with food then start all over until the boxes start to stack up.
“We could not do this operation without the volunteer support that we get,” Stan Siegwald, Dare to Care director of strategic initiative, said.
Last year, about 200 students from St. X did the Hunger Walk, and they plan on having about the same number of students this year. Kresse said they are hoping others will join them and help feed families.
The Hunger Walk is on September 22. Registration is $25, and that’ll provide 75 meals to people who need them the most. If you’re interested, more information is here: thehungerwalk.org.
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