Atlanta Apartment Association’s Annual Food-A-Thon to Begin June 24

 ATLANTA, GA (June 20, 2014) — The Atlanta Apartment Association (AAA) will start its annual Food-A-Thon, which benefits the Atlanta Community Food Bank (ACFB), with a kick-off event at the Cobb Galleria Centre on the afternoon of June 24.

 The event – which will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and provide association members with tips on how to maximize the food and cash they collect – marks the start of a nearly four-month food and fund drive that concludes on Oct. 17, when AAA members will deliver their donations to ACFB’s headquarters in a colorful parade.

David A. Hirsch

 This marks the 27th year of the Food-A-Thon, and the campaign has grown to the point that it is believed to be the largest food and fund drive in the United States.

In 2013, the Food-A-Thon collected enough food items and money to provide 6.2 million meals to hungry families in Georgia. The goal for this year’s drive, which has the theme of “So You Think You CAN Dance!”, is to provide 850,000 meals.

 “We are tremendously proud to be partnering with ACFB for another Food-A-Thon,” said David Hirsch, president of AAA. “ACFB is such an amazing organization, and our members never fail to respond to the challenge of helping those in need gain access to nutritional food.”

Founded in 1979, ACFB procures more than 45 million pounds of food and groceries each year and distributes them to more than 600 nonprofit partner agencies serving families and individuals in 29 metro Atlanta and north Georgia counties. For every $1 donated, ACFB can provide $8.47 worth of groceries to those in need.

 The statistics on those in need in Georgia are sobering: 20 percent of residents – and 28.8 percent of children – are food insecure, meaning they don’t know where they next meal is coming from, according to Feeding America. Furthermore, nearly 20 percent of Georgians are living in poverty, up from just under 13 percent in 2000, according to the Census Bureau.

Cobb Galleria Centre

 The Food-A-Thon also will include the Can Can Ball, which takes place on Aug. 22 at the Sheraton Atlanta Downtown.

 At the end of this year’s drive, AAA will award two top prizes: one to the member firm that raises the most cash and one to the company that collects the most food items.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Stephen Ursery

The Wilbert Group

404-549-7150 (O) 404-405-2354 (C)

sursery@thewilbertgroup.com