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No Holiday From The Hunger January 3, 2007 The holidays have passed. Bulk pick-up has scooped up Christmas trees. The lights have gone out of menorahs. The unity and spirit of Kwanzaa has dissipated. Now it is the New Year. Back to school. Back to work. It's time to pay the bills. As for the hungry, the homeless, the needy -- all the people who benefited from the season of kindness -- what happens to them when the community shelves its giving spirit like twinkle lights tucked away until next season?
"We want to encourage people to find their hearts on Valentine's Day," Forman quips. Corbin adds, "We want them to resurrect that spirit for Easter." But most immediately, Corbin says she wants people to make it part of their New Year's resolutions to volunteer, to donate, to raise awareness. Getting involved with the Valentines Donation is one way to do just that. The Souper Bowl is a national effort to mobilize youth to fight hunger and poverty in their communities. With the Super Bowl game taking place here on Feb. 4, it's an excellent time for South Floridians to get involved, whether as families or organizations, volunteers or financial contributors. (Go to souperbowl.org to find out how.) "It began in a church in Columbia, S.C.," says Tracy Bender, director of public relations for the Souper Bowl. A youth group thought that with all the fun and food associated with the annual zenith of the American football season, it would be a great time to do something for those unable to share in the bounty. "It has grown since 1990 and there is a way for everybody to join in and help others. People don't realize that hunger is everywhere," Bender says from her office in Columbia. Closer to home, Corbin, Cooperative Feeding's deputy director, says her office was besieged with calls from well-intentioned individuals before the holidays. "They'd call wanting to serve a meal to the homeless on Christmas Day. Well, we had Christmas Day covered. When I'd tell them we needed someone for the day after Christmas, they weren't interested." I'm not pointing fingers. At least they called. I just "meant to call." Nobody is going to get nourished off of my good intentions -- not when they don't result in action. Forman, who has been feeding the hungry for over 25 years, says her program's clientele has changed. "People are angrier now," she says. In her second-story office, Forman sits like a rumpled warrior. The holiday rush has left her drained, and as always, wondering where her next infusion of cash, food and supplies will come from. Her blue eyes are tired. In contrast, Corbin, who has been with the program about seven months, appears poised to leap into action. "I don't know that words can explain what we do here," she says. "It really is a life net that we give people." Bread of Life executive director Judith Gatti agrees that the need is growing among South Floridians. Her regional food bank serves clients from Monroe to Palm Beach counties. She says 800,000 people in the region live below poverty level -- 43 percent children, 12 percent the elderly. But the Valentines Donation is a good way to keep the focus on the needy. "It's an excellent way to restock the pantries," she says. "There really is something for everybody to do. You can have fun while you're helping people -- there's nothing wrong with that." Sherri Winston can be reached at swinston@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4108. 
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