CITY HARVEST FEEDS PEOPLE ALL YEAR LONG

As a reminder that hungry people aren't only hungry during holiday season, The Tash Brothers Band just received a nice certificate from City Harvest for our efforts at raising food last November. Our band plays at the New York City Marathon every year to give the runners that extra shot of rock & roll adrenaline to help them complete the grueling 26 mile race through the streets of New York City. It's a huge event, well covered by the media and reported worldwide. The Tash Brothers Band has been playing at the same spot near the beginning of the race for 16 years now, and last November we figured we'd take the opportunity to raise awareness of hunger in New York City and raise some food to donate to the cause.

Well, the media didn't notice anything different but the people who watch the race and come out to hear the band and support the runners noticed. Many of them brought a little shopping bag of food and dropped it into the collection barrel. We had asked people to bring non-perishible items of food for our less fortunate brothers and sisters in our city and they responded. We collected over a hundred pounds of food, a modest beginning to be sure, and the band donated another fifty pounds. This year, with some better preparation and stronger promotion, we hope to gather a thousand pounds or more. The good people at City Harvest have raised no objections to our goal. We also donate what we can privately during the rest of the year.

City Harvest is a great organization who will come to your home to collect any food you can spare. While the bulk of our giving and the bulk of their collecting occurs around Holiday Season in early winter, people are hungry all year long. In this, the greatest city in the most bountiful country on earth, it is a painful fact of life that there are people who do not have enough to eat. The economic meltdown going on in this nation right now pretty much ensures that they will have more and more company in the coming year. Which means that the rest of us should ratchet up our food donations to City Harvest.

If you have 50 pounds of food or more to donate, City Harvest will send a truck to your home to collect it. If you have less than that, you can go to any New York City firehouse to donate it. Our firefighters are part of the effort and will be happy to take in your donations. It's also a good opportunity to say hello to some of the people who look after us and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. The firefighters know that a donation to City harvest goes right to where it is needed, to feed hungry people. Your donation is a not a check to be used for who-knows-what, but an item of food that will be gratefully accepted by families who need it desperately.

To get involved is easy. Simply go the City Harvest website to get started. It is cityharvest.com To arrange a 50 pound food pickup call (917) 351-8731. For general information or to find how how to become a City Harvest volunteer call (917) 351-9709. You can learn how to start a food drive, how to become a collection agency or how to become a corporate sponsor. Any help you can give is appreciated, even dropping off a couple of boxes of cereal, some canned or jarred food or a package of spaghetti to your nearest fire house. The City harvest workers are fine people, and hands-on workers. You won't be given a run around of any sort or shuttled between the branches of a phone tree. If you want to check out City Harvest you can look them up in one if the internet's charity rating websites. You'll find they are one of the most effective organizations out there.

And remember, people are not only hungry during Holiday Season. Children need to eat every day of every week of the year. Three times a day. Your food donations can help these children grow and learn and thrive in our city. If you are not from New York City, find out who collects food in your area. There will be somebody doing this work and they need your help. And if Hard Times are truly here, then a whole lot of people will be needing food donations. It is the most basic and vital help we can give one another. Help feed our hungry brothers and sisters today and all year long and invest in our collective future. Call City Harvest today and see how you can help.