Thanks for helping us feed the need!

Thanks to the efforts of more than 250 volunteers, Feed the Need Day 2009 raised more than $35,000 to help the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina in its mission of fighting hunger. More than 13,500 pounds of food was collected at presenting sponsor Harris Teeter stores - thousands more than last year. In addition, the employees of presenting sponsor Talecris Biotherapeutics contributed more than 1,170 pounds of food and $2200 in cash to Feed the Need 2009.

These donations will provide more than 160,000 meals to people at risk of hunger in our community.

On Saturday morning, April 18, volunteers at Harris Teeter stores, Bojangles' restaurants and freestanding Starbucks across the Triangle and in Greenville and Wilmington sold a special $1 Feed the Need edition of The News & Observer, with 75 cents of each sale benefitting the food bank. The paper featured a special wrap with coverage of the food bank's mission and partners.

In the weeks leading up to Feed the Need Day, The N&O and its community newspapers published news articles, photographs and columns highlighting hunger and the food bank's work to end it, along with ads inviting readers to contribute or volunteer.

In its three years, Feed the Need has raised more than $167,000 in cash and collected almost 40,000 pounds of food. That translates to about 670,000 meals.

The N&O would like to thank our presenting sponsors, Harris Teeter and Talecris Biotherapeutics, for their support of this annual community service project. We also appreciate the media partnerships of ABC-11 and Curtis Media radio stations and our location sponsors, Bojangles' and Starbucks.