The Puget Sound Labor Agency needs your financial support so that we can continue to serve those in the labor community and in our geographical area who rely on us. Here is why:

Washington is the 11th hungriest state in the country.

There are now 160,000 Washington State families that do not have enough food to eat, an 82% increase since 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Here at PSLA, we have witnessed first-hand the ramifications of increased poverty and food insecurity in our area. PSLA’s food bank distributed food to just over 37,000 individuals from July 2010 to June 2011, including 6,500 children, 12,000 senior citizens, 2,000 homeless men and women, and 11,137 union members. The 2010 to 2011 period was a record-breaking year, and yet, we are on track to serve 45,000 individuals for the July 2011 to June 2012 period. It is clear that PSLA is serving a vital need in the downtown Seattle core and for the labor community.

I am asking you to consider making a gift to PSLA today. To make your gift stretch further, we are participating in the 15th Annual Feinstein Foundation Million Dollar Giveaway to Fight Hunger. By making your tax-deductible gift to PSLA before April 30, 2012, the Feinstein Foundation will contribute to PSLA as well. The more that PSLA raises in the next two months, the more we will receive from the Feinstein Foundation (please be sure to mark your gift as part of the “Feinstein Challenge”).

Please do not hesitate to contact me at sfox@pslaonline.org or 206.448.9277 should you have any questions about the Feinstein Challenge, PSLA, or the needs of the community.