Pie in the face for a good cause

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - The Safeway off Patterson and 29 Rd collected donations and treated some employees with pies to the face to help the Clifton Christian Community Food Bank fight against food insecurity in the valley.

“I heard that they were raising money for the Clifton Christian Community Food Bank, and I came down to just donate to that, and hey, if I get a throw a pie, and if somebody’s face, that’s even a bonus,” said Dane McCabe, a customer.

“This is a battle that we fight every day to find food for the hungry, and the cost of food is so great these days, and so a lot of people that have never dealt with food insecurity now are dealing with it,” said Jackie Feaster, executive director for Clifton Christian Community Food Bank.

Mark Irvin, Safeway’s front-end manager, said he volunteered at the food bank last weekend and couldn’t believe how many people needed the help. “I didn’t think there would be that many; we had over 450 cars come through, and I just couldn’t believe there were that many people,” said Irvin.

“People can hear that the need for hunger is huge, but until you physically see the lines of cars, you don’t really understand,” added Feaster. Jackie said they’ve helped over 39,000 individuals facing hunger and provided 950,000 meals, the most meals given away in western Colorado per weight.

Last year, the Mesa County Hunger Alliance and the Western Colorado Community Foundation released a blueprint to end hunger. It involves five goals: develop a relief system, maximize enrollment in food assistance programs, increase the number of high-quality foods available, expand grocery store rescue and food recovery efforts, and increase public awareness.