Dallas Mavericks Foundation generously supports Irving Cares
Irving Cares recently received $25,000 from the Dallas Mavericks Foundation. Funding from the Mavs Foundation will go to purchase food items, milk, and hygiene products that are not donated. Irving Cares fed 11,410 unduplicated individuals with 32,325 days of nutritiously balanced groceries in the fiscal year ending 2010, and over 46% were children and youth under age 19.
To close the gap on hunger in Irving, the Food Pantry must be supplemented with goods that are not donated. Ultimately, with support from the Dallas Mavericks Foundation and others, children will be able to concentrate in school and sleep at night because their stomachs are not growling loudly or pinching painfully due to hunger. Fresh milk provides the vitamins and nutrition that growing bodies need in order to develop. Milk, eggs, and meat ensure that physical development is healthy and stable. These perishable items are rarely donated.
“The budget for the Food Pantry Program at Irving Cares reflects over $180,000 in cash needed to purchase items not donated. Though traditionally we have great community support with food drives, we’ve seen a drop in donated items. This means that we purchase items to make sure we have enough inventory to fulfill the requests for service. This donation from the Mavs Foundation will help us meet the needs of hungry Irving families,” said Teddie Story, Irving Cares Executive Director.
In families without adequate financial resources, people typically go without basic human needs, such as food. The consequences are lasting and jeopardize children’s long-term health, employment and earnings potential, perpetuating the cycle of poverty. For more information about the Food Pantry Program, please visit our website at www.irvingcares.org.
About Irving Cares:
Ensuring that the most basic human needs are being met is an important measure of a city’s quality of life. It is what Irving citizens believed 53 years ago when they founded Irving Cares, and it is still true today.
Since 1957, Irving Cares has offered a hand up, not a handout, for Irving families in crisis. The agency served more than 37,000 people in the Irving community last year, and the need continues to increase. By providing limited financial assistance for rent, mortgage, utilities, transportation to medical facilities and prescription deliveries; and information and referral, Irving Cares promotes a client’s self-sufficiency. More information on Irving Cares can be found at www.irvingcares.org.
About the Dallas Mavericks Foundation:
The mission of the Dallas Mavericks Foundation is to assist young people through programs stressing education, good health and skills necessary for their future success. The Dallas Mavericks possess a strong sense of social responsibility, acknowledging that a community is only as strong as its weakest link. Established in October 1996, the Dallas Mavericks Foundation is dedicated to inspiring and motivating youth to take their education seriously, strive for healthy bodies and minds, become involved in community service activities, set personal goals, visualize their dreams and take responsibility for their own lives and neighborhoods.
