ESSAE Donates Proceeds of Charity Auction to Food Bank Association of NYS

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Mark Quandt, John Evers, Penny Murphy CAE, James Calvin

ALBANY, NY (06/28/2011)(readMedia)-- The Empire State Society of Association Executives (ESSAE) presented a check in the amount of $6,785 to the Food Bank Association of NYS, representing the proceeds collected from its December 2010 Charity Auction.

Since 1993, ESSAE has selected a charity to receive the proceeds of its December auction, held in conjunction with the organization's annual holiday party. Auction items are donated by ESSAE members and range from gift baskets to fine art to weekend getaways. Proceeds are collected and passed along to the charity the following spring. To date, ESSAE has donated over $126,000 to eighteen deserving charities.

According to Food Bank Association CEO, John Evers, "Over the past three years food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters have reported increases of 20 to 30%, even 50%, in more hungry people seeking assistance. The state food banks have strained to insure that enough food is found to match this growing demand. "All told over 3 million over 2.5 million people are now seeking help from programs sustained by the food bank network."

Evers further stated, "This donation will enable the state association to expand its partnerships with agriculture, industry, and food manufacturers to secure more bulk food donations to supply the almost 5,000 feeding programs supported by local food banks."

Coined the "Association for Associations," ESSAE is a statewide not-for-profit association dedicated to serving the professional needs of those who work for, or otherwise serve, trade, business and professional associations in New York State.

Picture, left to right: Mark Quandt, Executive Director of Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and board president of the Food Bank Association of NYS; John Evers, CEO, Food Bank Association of NYS, Penny Murphy, CAE, President & CEO of the Empire State Society of Association Executives, Inc. (ESSAE), and James Calvin, president of the NY Association of Convenience Stores and chair of the ESSAE board of directors.