FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, December 13, 2012

(Lafayette, IN) On Sunday, September 16, 2012, over 900 participants helped raise $83,232.10 to meet the needs of hungry families in the Lafayette-West Lafayette area and overseas. Hunger Hike supports the Lafayette Urban Ministry’s food programs, Food Finders Food Bank and St. Thomas Aquinas’ Haiti Ministry.

This morning, LUM Executive Director, Joe Micon, and Board President, Deb Parent, distributed the checks to the benefactors. On hand to accept for Food Finder Food Bank was Katie Bunder, Executive Director, and Cheryl Precious, Development Director. Also in attendance were Ron Smith, Hunger Hike director, and Eileen Weiss, LUM business manager. Hunger Hike 2012 had over 1000 organizations, businesses and individuals involved in fundraising and making donations; over 900 hikers, walkers, and runners; and over 200 volunteers engaged before, during and after the event.

Food Finders Food Bank, St. Thomas Aquinas’ Haiti Ministry and the food programs at LUM each were presented with a check for $26,095.72.

Joe Micon stated that LUM will use the money to support the St. John’s/LUM Food Pantry which provides emergency food for over 2200 individuals each and every month; meals to feed the homeless in the LUM emergency shelter; and snacks for the LUM After School Program, Achieve! Program and the 5th Quarter Summer Learning Program.

Katie Bunder stated that Food Finder Food Bank will use the money to fund the maintenance costs for storing and delivering food that are not currently covered by other organizations. It currently costs 25 cents per pound to store and distribute food and other organizations pay 19 cents. This money will cover the rest. Hunger Hike money also pays for the distribution for ripe produce which is distributed without collecting any maintenance fees. Produce supplies have increased by 400% which is positive but it costs more to distribute before it spoils. On behalf of Food Finders, Bunder stated that “we hope we can help all of greater Lafayette eat healthier because we have all of these dollars to spend on healthy, fresh food.”

St. Thomas Aquinas will use the money to support their mission work in Haiti. Several times a year St. Thomas Aquinas provides opportunities for individuals including Purdue students to travel to Haiti and to provide needed work especially efforts to purify water for drinking. Joe Micon acknowledged and thanked St. Thomas Aquinas for their work in Haiti as well as the support of Hunger Hike. St. Thomas had the largest group of Hikers and raised the most from donations to Hikers.

Joe Micon gave special recognition to the Hunger Hike Honorary Chair, Sharon Versyp, coach of the Purdue Women’s Basketball and the team for role in promoting and for their support the day of Hunger Hike. Micon also thanked David Kucik, coach of the Purdue Crew and the teams for their support and for leading Hunger Hike each year. Micon acknowledged the behind the scenes work of the LUM business manager, Eileen Weiss; and the LUM Director of the Hunger Hike Program, Ron Smith.

Hunger Hike was a great success and will have a tremendous positive impact on our community and the world. LUM announced that the tradition will continue in 2013 with the next Hunger Hike on Sunday, September 15, 2013.

The Lafayette Urban Ministry (LUM) is an organization of 42 Christian churches that serves as a social safety net for Lafayette’s needy children and families. For over 40 years, LUM has worked to give back the hope, the future, and the self-respect to low-income people in the Greater Lafayette area. We take an active role in trying to change social injustices and improve the quality of life for the poor of Indiana.

Contacts:

Joe Micon
Executive Director
Lafayette Urban Ministry
765.423.2691
jmicon@lafayetteurbanministry.org

Katy Bunder
Executive Director
Food Finders Food Bank
765.471.0062
kbunder@food-finders.org

Fr. Patrick Baikauskas, OP
Pastor, Director of Campus Ministry
St. Thomas Aquinas Center
765.743.4652
fatherpatrick@boilercatholics.org

###

To view the Video of the Hunger Hike Check Distribution Ceremony presentation, please click below:

Additional Hunger Hike 2012 Information:

For photos from the Hunger Hike Check Distribution Ceremony, click HERE.

For photos from Hunger Hike 2012, click HERE.

Hunger Hike 2012 Acknowledgements:

Top Fundraisers:

• Top Individual:Rob Pahl ($3480)
• Top Online: Patti O’Callaghan ($3379)
• Top Team: St. Thomas Aquinas ($11,033)

5K Winners:

• Women’s: 1st Melissa Guissner (21:51); 2nd Anna Busenburg (22:41); 3rd Katelyn Jackson (28:45).
• Men’s: 1st Michael Kuhn (21:08); 2nd Davis Kuykendall (21:26); 3rd Kenny McCleary (21:55).

Top Sponsors:
Wal-Mart #2339, Alcoa, American Health Network, Bar Barry Liquors, Endocyte Inc., Evonik, Degussa Corp., Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., Subway, Tipmont REMC,

Other Sponsors:
Duke Energy, Greyhouse Coffee & Supply Co., I.B.E.W. Local 668, InnerVision Advanced Medical Imaging, Instant Copy, Journal & Courier, K105 (WKOA) Radio, Lafayette Savings Bank, LifeSmiles Dentistry, Link Management, NeoVision, Rat Pak Mobile, Sam’s Club, Franciscan St. Elizabeth Regional Health, Stuart & Branigin LLP, Sundance Shirts, Wabash National Corp, Wintek Corp, Dr. Stephen Cook, DDS MSD, F&S Williams, Lafayette Aviation, Inc., Puccini’s, RamZ’s Emporium, Soller-Baker Funeral Homes, Tecton Construction Management, Inc., The Tim Shriner Agency-Merit Realty, University Bookstore, Williamson Eye Institute, WLFI TV18.

Join LUM online and help us serve children and families even better.