The City Teams with Foodlink to Fight Hunger

By Carlet Cleare

Rochester, NY – Foodlink and the City of Rochester are teaming up to fight hunger in the "Pound for Pound Challenge."

For every pound city participants vow to lose, 14 cents is donated to Foodlink to help hungry families in the community. That's equal to the cost of one pound of food for Foodlink.

Jeanette Bastiste, Foodlink's Chief Operating Officer, says the challenge is a great opportunity.

"The theme for the Pound for Pound Challenge is lose nationally; feed locally," says Bastiste. "And really we encourage all of Rochester to take this challenge, and this is a great opportunity to help you meet your personal wellness goals."

Jan Perri is running the challenge for the city employees. She says the city hopes to get at least a hundred participants.

"What we'll probably do is some kind of challenge within city offices, with each department against other departments to see how much weigh we can loose," Perri says. "It's for a great cause, and we are hoping a lot of people will participate."

National sponsors include Feeding America, General Mills and the NBC television show, "The Biggest Loser."

The challenge ends in May.