Food banks to gain from weight loss

Earlier this month, Weight Watchers announced plans to donate a pound of food for every pound members lost to two major hunger organizations. Now, local members have decided to match the efforts at home.

"We're looking at the needs people around here have," said Kim Barber, a Weight Watchers leader and ambassador. "We're out in the community and we're seeing firsthand what is happening. For example, in Bonita (Springs) with the recent weather issues, they've had it bad. We're in communication with these communities right now and we know what's going on."

At a Friday afternoon meeting on Palm Beach Boulevard, members lost 33 pounds and pledged to make a 33-pound donation of food to the All Souls Church in North Fort Myers. Members will weigh in every Friday and bring that amount of food to donate the following Friday every week until mid-October.

"They do a lot of stuff with the homeless there," said Dottie Tronnes, a Weight Watchers receptionist who is in contact with the church. "They do grocery bags. They have a soup kitchen. The last few weeks, it's been so bad they've had to do lunch and dinner."

Creighton Evans, a priest with All Souls Church, said the organization is doing OK but could use the donations.

"There's a lot of people needing food," he said.

Community Cooperative Ministries is another of the food pantries that will benefit from weight lost by local members. Executive director Sarah Owen said she was absolutely thrilled.

"I think it's a great example of the community stepping up to address community needs," she said. "A lot of times we think of fighting hunger as one individual taking food from their pantry and donating it. The Weight Watchers concept is really excited because it gets the entire community involved."

Fort Myers resident Sandy Delargy has lost more than 10 pounds on the program and said she supported the efforts to help others within the community.

"I feel like there's so many obese people and if we lose just a pound and it gets donated (in food), it helps us and it helps the hungry, too," she said. "I just read a study that said by 2020, 80 percent of Americans will be obese."

Weight Watchers' national offices launched its six-week campaign entitled "Lose for Good" on Sept. 7. It runs until Oct. 18. The organization will donate up to $1 million to Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. The amount donated will be indicative of how much weight members lost during that six week period.