Austin, Texas – November 19, 2013 – A Legacy of Giving, a local nonprofit that teaches children the value of philanthropy as part of their school curriculum, will hold its fifth annual Day of Service event for participating Austin-area elementary– through– high school students on Tuesday, Nov. 26. Day of Service is the official culmination of a student-led food and clothing drive currently taking place on 36 participating school campuses. The drive will benefit the Capital Area Food Bank and Coats for Kids.

“Our philanthropy curriculum has taught our students that anyone, regardless of age and income, can give and help make a difference,” said Linda Brucker, executive director of A Legacy of Giving. “The Day of Service event is an exciting time for the students to celebrate their achievements and see how their efforts have helped our community.”

All participating Central Texas schools spend several weeks collecting clothing and food items with an overall goal to exceed last year’s collection of 4,497 coats and 47,767 pounds of food, providing a total of 38,214 meals to the community.

“I helped load our coats and cans,” said one Legacy student from Mathews Elementary. “From that moment on I knew I was a philanthropist, and that’s what I want to be because it made me feel really good inside.”

During the Day of Service event, 20 student leaders and one to two teachers from each Legacy school will celebrate their school’s achievements and unload the food and coats at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. PODS has donated a portable storage unit to each school for transporting the collections to the Day of Service location.

“The Food Bank is very appreciative of A Legacy of Giving and the support we receive from them every year,” said Hank Perret, President & CEO, Capital Area Food Bank of Texas. “Teaching philanthropy and the notion of giving back at a young age is so important. It is heartwarming to see children in action gathering coats and food for families in need, and this food will help us feed more families again this year.”

The 2013 Day of Service marks the largest effort to-date of philanthropic community giving by Austin and surrounding-area schools. This year’s title sponsor is Whole Foods Market, with additional sponsors The Junior League of Austin and Silicon Labs. The event celebrates the combined efforts of students from Austin Independent School District, Montessori, charter, as well as Catholic and Muslim faith-based schools.

“Last year, students with the Legacy program collected more than 47,500 pounds of food for the community and more than 4,000 coats for kids,” said Becky Johnson, Coats for Kids Chair at the Junior League of Austin. “It’s great to see the difference that these children have made at a such a young age through the help of the Legacy program.”

Following the Day of Service event, the recipient charities will continue to collect items for those in need. Food donations for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas can be dropped off on-site at any time. Monetary donations can be made online at www.austinfoodbank.org. Coats for Kids will be accepting donations of warm winter coats through Friday, Dec. 6. Coats can be dropped off at any Jack Brown Cleaners location around Austin and monetary donations can be made online at www.jlaustin.org.

The coats will be distributed to children in need on December 14, 2013 from 8 a.m.–3 p.m. at Palmer Events Center.

About A Legacy of Giving:
Founded in 2007 under the umbrella of the Austin Community Foundation, A Legacy of Giving advanced its mission to empower children through philanthropy education to become more engaged in improving their communities and world. A Legacy of Giving believes that if children learn to be compassionate at the earliest ages, they will continue to be engaged in their communities and offer their gifts of time, treasure, and talent as adults. A Legacy of Giving empowers students to take action in their communities by offering them well planned, hands-on, real-life giving experiences. The vision of A Legacy of Giving is to grow a generation of givers. To find out more, visit alegacyofgiving.org or call 512-600-9295.

About Capital Area Food Bank of Texas:
The mission of the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas is to nourish hungry people and lead the community in ending hunger. Since 1981, the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas has helped Central Texans by providing healthy food, social service outreach and nutrition education in collaboration with more than 300 partner agencies. In the past 12 months, the Food Bank distributed 29 million pounds of food to more than 300,000 Central Texans in its 21 county service territory. For more information on the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas and its programs, visit www.austinfoodbank.org or call 512-282-2111.

About The Junior League of Austin’s Coats for Kids:
Each year, The Junior League of Austin, Jack Brown Cleaners, KASE 101, and KVUE partner to bring the community together to ensure that the children of Central Texas stay warm. Now in its 27th year, Coats for Kids is an annual community project of the Junior League that collects and distributes warm winter coats to eligible children and teenagers in Central Texas. Last year, approximately 32, 219 coats were donated and distributed to children in Central Texas to stay warm. For more information about The Junior League of Austin, call 512-467-8982, ext. 248 or visit www.jlaustin.org.

About PODS:
Established in 1998, PODS provides Portable On Demand Storage® products and services and has recently evolved to also provide Portable On Demand Moving™ products and services. PODS is making moving and storage more convenient and less stressful. For more information on PODS call Vince Yungwirth at 512-748-4323 or visit www.pods.com.


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