blanket and canned food drive at Altman Dental to benefit Food Bank of WNY and the Homeless of Buffalo NY

Altman Dental Holiday Give Back Buffalo NY

Altman Dental Holiday Give Back

At Altman Dental, we are committed to helping our local Buffalo, NY community.  We hope you join us in giving to two wonderful organizations in Buffalo.  The Food Bank of WNY helps to supply food to so many in our Buffalo, NY community. Blankets for the Homeless, is an independent collection drive, run by a friend of Altman Dental. Each year, they drive the streets and provide blankets and warm coats to those in need. Both are wonderful ways you can help!

To learn more about our community and what the needs are, here is some information provided from the Food Bank of WNY’s website:

Within the Food Bank’s service area (Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara counties)…

  • 180,670 people – 13.4% of the overall population – are food insecure.
  • 63,280 children – 22.2% of the child population – are food insecure.

What is food insecurity? Simply put, it is not having consistent access to enough nutritious food to lead a healthy life. The reasons for food insecurity are complex, and could include the loss of a job, inadequate wages, injury, illness, lack of access to SNAP (food stamps), and costs associated with unexpected hardships.

Food insecurity and poverty are often related, but do not always go hand-in-hand. For example, there are families who live below 100% of the federal poverty line that are food secure. These families could be prioritizing food over other necessities (medicine, personal hygiene or cleaning products) in order to remain food secure.

Likewise, there are people who live above the poverty line that are food insecure. These people may not be eligible for government assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps. For many of these food-insecure individuals, their only form of food assistance may be through charities, like the Food Bank of WNY.

Who is served by the Food Bank of WNY?

In any given month, the Food Bank assists as many as 129,000 individuals, including more than 44,000 families, 45,000 children and nearly 17,000 seniors.

The Faces of hunger in Western New York
Hunger does not belong to any one demographic.  Those who are hungry include hard-working families trying desperately to make ends meet. It includes seniors who worked all their lives only to discover that their fixed income has made it necessary for them to choose between heating their home and a hot meal. It includes children who have to arrive at school hungry because their parents cannot afford to feed them breakfast.

Among those assisted by the Food Bank of WNY:

  • 85% are high-school graduates, and of those, 31% are college educated
  • 39% are employed, 33% are unemployed and actively seeking work
  • 28% are not working because they are retired or are disabled and cannot work
  • 27% of the adults assisted are currently serving or have served in the military

Altman Dental Holiday Give Back

So what can YOU Do? Participate in the Altman Dental Holiday Give Back! Holiday time is a time for giving back to our Buffalo, NY community! We have 2 ways you can help Altman Dental make this happen, now through end of December:

  1. Canned Food Drive for the Food Bank of WNY
  2. Blankets for the Homeless-bring new or gently used blankets and winter coats to benefit the homeless of WNY. These beautiful blankets were hand made by one of our patients last year!

Please share this with friends and family! You don’t have to be a patient of Altman Dental to donate! The more the merrier! Let’s help those less fortunate than ourselves, this year and every year!

Thank you for helping with the Altman Dental Holiday Give Back!