PlainsCapital Helps Lubbock Kids at Risk of Hunger This Summer

LUBBOCK, TX (May 31, 2018) — According to the South Plains Food Bank (SPFB), nearly 30,000 children across the greater Lubbock metropolitan area are food insecure, not knowing from where their next meal is coming. These are children who depend on the guaranteed meals provided during the school year through the free and reduced-lunch program. So what happens at the end of the year after the bell rings? Hunger begins.

For the ninth consecutive year, PlainsCapital Bank is helping SPFB kick off its annual summer food drive, Summer of Sharing. The month-long campaign began Memorial Day, May 28, and features events throughout June designed to assist the food bank in restocking its shelves for the summer, traditionally a low donation, high need time of year.

A long-time partner of the food bank, PlainsCapital has provided hundreds of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of dollars to SPFB for more than two decades. Last year, PlainsCapital committed $50,000 to support vital programs like the SPFB’s Summer of Sharing campaign.

“We know the need goes up during the summer when children are out of school and do not have access to guaranteed meals, leaving their families with fewer options for food,” said PlainsCapital Bank Lubbock President Barry Ballinger. “Our goal is to make sure the shelves at the food bank are filled, so we can help get food out to the community.”

Proceeds from the summer food drive help support SPFB’s summer feeding program, designed to help fill the summer feeding gap for kids by providing hot, nutritious meals and snacks at more than 30 sites across the greater-Lubbock area. Last year’s Summer of Sharing campaign generated around 130,000 pounds of food contributions and approximately $40,000 in donations.

How to support the Summer of Sharing food drive:

• Purchase $5 pre-filled grocery bags ($12 food value) or make a donation at any Lubbock-area Food King, Lowe’s Supermarket, Ace Hardware, or the 13 PlainsCapital Bank branches including drive-thru teller windows.
• Participate in community events sponsored by SPFB partners including the Conquer Hunger Run, West Texas Chevy Dealers Drive Out Hunger food drive, Covenant Health System SOS food drive and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Potato Sacking event.

To view a timeline of the 2018 Summer of Sharing events throughout the month of June or to make an online donation, visit the South Plains Food Bank website at www.spfb.org.