El Paso Times- Community kicks in: Publicity helps West Texas Food Bank obtain food donations
El Paso Times- Community kicks in: Publicity helps West Texas Food Bank obtain food donations September 9, 2011
by Victor R. Martinez \ El Paso Times
Posted: 09/09/2011 12:00:00 AM MDT
Soon after reading a story in the El Paso Times about a shortage at El Paso's food banks in July, Alcalá put that belief into action.
Odyssey Hospice reached out to nursing homes, hospitals, home health companies, physician offices and Advant-Edge Pharmacy, as well as Odyssey employees, families and friends, for help.
Together with West Texas Food Bank, which distributed close to 9 million pounds of food to more 170 nonprofit partner agencies last year including Odessa and Alpine, Odyssey was able to raise 2,016 pounds of food.
"Everybody who works here lives here and this is our community and our company," Alcalá said. "Sometimes we get a bad rap because we're a corporation and because we're not a not-for-profit organization people think all the money goes all for profit, and that's not what we believe in, that's not who we are."
Ruben Sanchez, the deputy director of West Texas Food Bank, was happy.
"We are always looking for community support," Sanchez said. "Community support is what keeps us going. Right now, we've been bumped 20 loads of USDA product, which means over 40,000 pounds per load hasn't come through El Paso."
Getting so much this time of year is unusual, Sanchez said.
"People only think about us on the holidays, on Thanksgiving, Christmas and sometimes Easter when it pulls a heartstring," Sanchez said. "But hunger exists 365 days out of the year."
But Sanchez said he is not surprised by the generosity of El Pasoans.
"With organizations stepping up and wanting to be a part of the fight against hunger in our community makes a big difference," he said. "We're not scratching the surface trying to find food. We have members of the community coming to help us in the fight against hunger."
Liz Becerra, the community education representative for Odyssey Hospice, helped coordinate the canned food drive.
"I told them as a healthy care community, we are all there to help the sick," Becerra said. "But this was different. We needed to unity as a health care community to show El Paso that not only do we take care of your sick, we take care of your hungry too."
Becerra also knows the good deeds can't stop here.
"We are very excited," she said.
Victor R. Martinez may be reached at vmartinez@elpasotimes.com; 546-6128.
