The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service is kicking off its holiday season fundraisers to meet the growing demand of its hunger relief programs.
Tuesday marks the 23rd annual Restaurants Sharing Ten Percent event, where 10 percent of the proceeds from 105 local restaurants will be donated to the IFC’s community kitchen and emergency food pantry.
The event, which is always hosted on the second Tuesday in November, falls on Election Day this year.
“The election folks, they think it helps get more people out,” said John Dorward, the associate director of the IFC. “And we figure if they’re out voting, they’ll want to go out and eat at the same time.”
Dorward said the demand for the community kitchen, which serves three free meals a day, has remained fairly steady, in part because UNC is undergoing less construction and has fewer temporary workers who frequent the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the number of community members who use the emergency food pantry has grown tremendously and is not dropping back anytime soon, he said.
About 3,400 households, which average three or four people, pick up groceries once a month, Dorward said. Since the start of the recession, the number of grocery bags distributed each month has increased from about 700 to 1,500, he said.
“The economy may be getting better, that’s what I keep reading, but we’re not necessarily seeing that on our end yet.”
The restaurant event raised about $20,000 last year, and the IFC has set a goal of $25,000 this year, although Dorward said he is unsure if they will meet this goal.
