United Food Bank launching fitness campaign
By Tribune News Staff for East Valley Tribune.
United Food Bank is launching a new campaign next month that will help people stay fit while they save their less fortunate neighbors from hunger.
The Mesa nonprofit is one of 200 food banks across the country partners with Feeding America, a nonprofit that helps feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. Forbes ranks Feeding America as the second largest U.S. charity by revenue.
Because September is Hunger Action Month, United Food Bank is urging people to join the Fit to Feed Fitness Challenge, which enables participants to meet new health goals while raising funds for 100,000 meals.
Registration for the month-long challenge is open now at fittofeedaz.org.
Participants will log activities such as going to the gym, hiking, volunteering, fundraising and even meditating to compete for weekly prize giveaways and support United Food Bank and their own healthy habits.
They also will have access to free exclusive events during September, and the first 75 people to sign up for the Fit to Feed Fitness Challenge will receive a free Arizona State Park day pass.
"All registered participants are invited to work their muscles at the United Food Bank Volunteer Center on Sept. 1 to help pack food bags for its 165 partner agencies who serve people in need throughout the East Valley and southeastern Arizona," a spokeswoman for the food bank said.
The site charges an entry fee of a minimum $10 to a maximum $30 to register, but that earns points and money for the food bank to continue its mission.
United Food Bank has provided hunger relief to people in the East Valley and eastern Arizona since 1983.
As a Feeding America member, it distributes food to about 165 partner agencies and programs serving over 345,000 households annually in five counties.
In 2020, due to COVID-19, United Food Bank distributed more than 27 million pounds of food, providing 22.5 million meals, a 20 percent increase over our distribution in 2019.