In the month of November, with the holidays approaching, we all have much to celebrate. In the next breath, so many fellow Americans are not assured of the basics -- including when and where their next meal may come.

Let's make the next few weeks a time of extraordinary achievement, brought out by everyday individuals who want to share good fortune and grace: I am pledging The Food Pantries For the Capital District to deliver **10,000 lbs.** of food to individuals in need this time of year. And that's not a misprint -- five tons of nutritious food for families in the Albany, N.Y. area where I attended school, and a region where a big part of my heart remains.

To do this, I will need your help but here's the kicker: every dollar you donate to this awesome organization is actually two dollars, as I am pledging to personally match every donation up to 100% of the listed goal (so if you donate $800, I'll contribute $800 to reach the magic number). For every dollar raised this season, The Food Pantries can provide 6.25 lbs. of food. So our donations can get weighty, very fast. With this group, no doubt we can FILL THE TRUCK, and then some!

Keep in mind:

• More than 44,000,000 people in the U.S., including 13,000,000 million children, wake up in 2023 each morning food insecure.
• In 2022, approximately 85% of domestic food banks/pantries reported an increased or sustained demand for food assistance compared to 2021.
• In that same time period, nearly 50,000,000 million people turned to food assistance for extra help.

All donations are appreciated. Happy Holidays!

-- Nicholas Walz

HOLIDAY FILL the TRUCK FUND DRIVE CHALLENGE!