Trucking Consultants, Ahern and Associates Kicks Off 12th Year of Feeding the Needy

Thursday, 27 December 2012

Ahern and Associates' annual food drive for St. Mary's Food Bank getting national recognition as Ahern again calls upon the trucking industry for much needed donations.

When Andy Ahern, CEO of Ahern and Associates, Ltd., isn't consumed with over-delivering for his transportation clients, he's hard at work planning and executing his nationwide, bi-annual food drives for the benefit of St. Mary's Food Bank-the nation's first and largest food bank.

Garnering local and national attention for his efforts such as a recent write-up in the Arizona Republic showcasing his "Christmas in July" food drive, Ahern has tirelessly worked for 12 years organizing his food drive while calling upon his vast list of supporters within the transportation industry. Year over year increases in donations have been actualized through Ahern's direct contributions and relentless follow up of his friends and clients in transportation; ranging from the one truck, owner-operator to chairmen of some of the country's largest publicly traded companies.

Ahern has supported the Food Bank's efforts in large part for their outstanding reputation as a charitable organization. In addition, St. Mary's Food Bank was recently on the front lines of the relief effort providing food for those affected by Super Storm Sandy.

For every $1.00 the food bank collects, .96 cents goes back to the community and translates into $7.00 worth of food which places St. Mary's Food Bank in the top 1% of all charities in the country. Thanks to their hard working staff and drove of dedicated volunteers, 90% of the aide provided goes to feed families with small children and the elderly.

Established in 1967, St. Mary's Food Bank has been the recipient of Ahern's food drives for twelve years, largely because of the remarkable job they do in supporting the hungry and elderly, as well as the high standards St. Mary's adheres to as a non-profit.

To date, an unfortunate 1 in 4 children are now going to bed hungry in neighborhoods across the country tonight. In addition, Ahern urges the public to consider the following, staggering statistics:

* 1 in 7 households are food insecure - this is the number highest number ever recorded in the US.

* 1/3 of the food in insecure households had very low food security.

* To date, 46.9 million people are in poverty, up from 37.3 million in 2007

* The poverty rate is 15.1%, up from 12.5% in 1997

* 1.5MM older Americans have already lost their homes to the Great Recession.

* Approximately 600,000 people who are 50yrs or older are currently in foreclosure.

* The poverty rate increase for children under 18yrs old has increased from 20.7% to 22%, and 20.5 million American's now live in extreme poverty. This means that these families' cash income is less than half of the poverty level or about $10K a year for a family of four.

* An astounding 49.9 million people or 16.3% of the American population do not have medical insurance.

All of these statistics mean that since the recent financial catastrophes that have taken place, there is an increase of 3,000,000 or more people who are now considered poor in this country. The percentage of children, in poverty is also 27.7% of that total population.

As a result of Ahern's annual food drives and through the generosity of his supporters, he has collectively raised well over $1,500,000 in food for St. Mary's Food Bank over the past twelve years. Unfortunately, hunger is an everyday issue for many Americans, with the situation only growing worse.

"I'd like to offer a heartfelt 'thank you' to all of my friends and supporters across the nation who have answered the call year after year, making every food drive even more successful than the last," said Ahern.

About Ahern & Associates, Ltd:

Ahern and Associates is North America's leading trucking and transportation management consulting firm. The skilled consultants at Ahern and Associates specialize in mergers and acquisitions of trucking and logistics companies as well as the restructuring and evaluation of existing carriers that seek to increase operating efficiency and improve profitability. Since 1987, Ahern and Associates has aided hundreds of buyers in the acquisition of trucking and logistics companies throughout the U.S. and Canada as well as assisting many transportation and logistics companies in reducing their overall operating costs and increasing their profitability. For more information, please call 602-242-1030 or visit http://www.Ahern-Ltd.com

Business contact:
A.W. Ahern
602-242-1030

Media contact:
Jason W. Jantzen
Phoenix Marketing Associates
http://www.PhoenixMarketingAssociates.com
602-282-0202

Company Contact Information
Ahern & Associates
Andre Ahern
2198 E Camelback Rd Suite 210
85016
02-242-1030

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