Joshua's Bar Mitzvah

When a Jewish boy turns 13, he participates in a rite of passage by which he claims his faith personally and takes upon himself the responsibilities of a man in his faith community.  There is a similar ceremony for girls called a Bat Mitzvah.  Literally, in Hebrew the ceremony means "Son of Commandment" or, "Daughter of Commandment." Did you know that children are encouraged to give thanks to God at this significant time in life by helping those in need?  I had the pleasure of receiving $1,000 from Joshua from his Bar Mitzvah to help us fight hunger. He, his mother and sister also volunteered at the SLO Hunger Walk site! Fighting hunger and helping the poor is a given for for all people of faith, and Joshua has stepped into that calling. Thank you Joshua!

Ending Hunger One Step at a Time...

The 3rd annual Hunger Walk took place on Sunday, September 25th at 8 sites throughout the county. This years walk brought together over 1,000 walkers and raised over $65,000! Thank you to our co-sponsor Central Coast Clergy and Laity for Justice and our many other supporters. This event would have not been successful without you. Congratulations to Consuelo Macedo for raising the most money as an individual walker! 

Top Walkers by City: 

5-Cities                                           Atascadero 

1. Nancy Pabst - $910                      1. Lois Ramont - $715  

2. Art Spoo - $679                             2. Kay Rasband - $370

3. Valeria Valle - $545                      3. Leslie Moss - $319 

Cambria                                         Morro Bay 

1. Consuelo Macedo - $2,625          1. Kathy Mizell - $1,750

2. Iona Soucie - $495                        2. Pat Mangione - $1,083 

3. Thelma Knight - $215                    3. Patricia Winstanley - $847

Nipomo                                           Paso Robles 

1. Marge Bellio - $365                        1. Stacie Dewitt - $566 

2. Greg Dutra - $198                          2. Lisa Wells - $382

3. Andy Cortez - $180                        3. Iz Crabtree - $265

SLO                                                 Saturday Walk

1. Susan Stenovect - $1,146              1. Jimmy Johnson - $610

2. The Conover Triplets - $957.90       2. Steve Bennett - $255

3. Mary Whiteford - $660                   3. Renee Mattice - $200 

Top Teams by City: 

SLO - SLO United Methodist Church - $3,504.90              

Morro Bay - Trinity United Methodist Church - $3,291

Atascadero - Community Church - $3,238 

5-Cities - South County's Peoples Kitchen - $1,984 

Paso Robles - Paso C.A.R.E.S. - $1,072.17 

Nipomo - Santa Maria Valley Hispanic Church - $678.77 

Cambria - Cambria Vineyard Church - $358          

Back Pack Snack Pack Program

With the success of our Lovin' Lunchbox summer meal program that delivered nutritious meals to children this past summer, we are pleased to announce our participation in a new program this fall.  We have partnered with the Community Child Nutrition Snack Project (CCNSP) set to distribute over 133,000 snacks through our Back Pack Snack Program at 11 afterschool programs over the course of the 2011-2012 school year.  The program will provide nutritious snacks to low-income children, helping them get the nutrition they need to learn, play and grow.