Online food-fight puts focus on Fresno's needy

Still the entire vote is a sign to Fresno's mayor says that it may just leave a lasting benefit -- one that began the week of Thanksgiving as a race for a million dollars.

Six weeks later the showdown came between the cities of Fresno and Salt Lake City in Utah. The dueling on FaceBook would rival the showdown at the OK Corral.

Sue Herbert didn't hesitate to take part, "I just think it's very important to support your community." Her vote for Fresno was joined by some 4-million-plus as of noon on Friday, "I just don't know why we aren't winning because so many people of come together from all walks of life. Even if we get a hundred thousand dollars to serve our community, it's great."

Unemployment in the county hovers near 17-percent, and one in four people in Fresno don't know where there next meat will come from.

Fresno resident Andrew Wanger agrees the needs are real but he's not fond of Wal-Mart's business practices. "I'm not a fan, but I am a Fresno fan so I'd support it in that sense to get Fresno the million dollars. "

Nancy: "But not enough to vote?"

"Well I may vote if I have time, it's a busy day but if I get to my computer I'll try to do it."

Most folks we spoke with, like Roberta Trudo, are more focused on the outcome than the source. And her workplace was buzzing with support, "We were all encouraged to do it on our floor, which I work at community regional. So it was like, we all did it. It was good thing."

And on this last day of voting Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin focused on extending all that good will beyond this competition toward a more united and caring community, "We can get people involved in a volunteer capacity. We can ask them to give a buck a month to 'Fresno First Steps Home', which is to end homelessness in Fresno. There are many ways that we can use social networking to continue this kind of effort."

Whether Fresno receives a million or a hundred thousand dollars the issue of hunger has certainly been brought to the forefront where progress is very much needed.