The Paul L. Foster Family Foundation and the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation, in partnership with the MountainStar Sports Group Foundation, have established a matching grant program of $1,000,000 to assist El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank (EPFH). The gift will enable the food bank to continue providing food and nutrition assistance to the hundreds of thousands of El Pasoans who are especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis.
“El Pasoans Fighting Hunger plays a key role in our community by ensuring that any family experiencing food insecurity in El Paso has access to meals,” said Woody L. Hunt, co-owner of MountainStar Sports Group and Chairman of the Hunt Family Foundation. “As more families face new financial constraints due to COVID-19, we wanted to help make sure those families are still able to put food on their tables and that nobody in our community suffers from hunger during this crisis.”
Over the past two weeks, demand for meals and other services has dramatically increased in El Paso and surrounding areas as more families are being impacted by COVID-19. The Food Bank has not only seen a surge in families accessing their services, but a decline in volunteers, which has resulted in long lines and wait times as families show up to the Food Bank.
Stuart R. Schwartz, Board President of EPFH said the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an immediate crisis in El Paso. “Food insecurity has grown exponentially,” he said. “The mission of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger is to address this very need, to bring comfort to those who have to make the difficult decision to pay rent or put nutritious food on their dinner table.” Schwartz continued, “This matching grant is a godsend at this critical time. The Food Bank is so very grateful to the Hunt and Foster families, as well as MountainStar Sports Group, for their extraordinary and generous gift. We encourage others to donate at this critical time so that the Food Bank can achieve the full match.”
Susan E. Goodell, Chief Executive Officer of El Pasoans Fighting Hunger said El Pasoans’ need for the Food Bank at this time is critical. "Our Food Bank has been serving families in El Paso County for decades, but the need we are seeing in this moment could not be greater.” She added, “We must be prepared to aid families through this crisis. We are so grateful to the Fosters, Hunts, and MountainStar Sports Group for their help during this time, and for others in our community who can donate money or time, I ask you to do so. The need at this time is great, and urgent.”
The Food Bank is anticipating that even more families will need access to its services and meals in the coming weeks, and it said the best way to meet that increased demand is through monetary donations. The fund established by the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation, the Hunt Family Foundation, and the MountainStar Sports Group Foundation, will match all donations made to El Pasoans Fighting Hunger up to $1Million.
For more information on how to contribute to the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank, visithttps://elpasoansfightinghunger.org/ or call (915) 298-0353.