Help homeless, Huntsman urges

PROVO — Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. visited a Provo food bank Wednesday to encourage Utahns to use their state income tax forms to donate money for homeless services in Utah.

The Pamela Atkinson Homeless Trust Fund will use contributions written in on line 23a of the 2004 tax forms to support organizations that provide shelter, food, jobs and other resources to those individuals and families who find themselves without a permanent home.

Since its inception in 1988, Utah taxpayers have contributed more than $2 million to the fund, which is administered by the State Community Services Office in the Utah Division of Housing and Community Development.

About one 1 percent of Utah's population is homeless during the year. That is about 23,000 people, half of them in families.

Huntsman visited the Community Action Services Food Bank warehouse, 815 S. Freedom Boulevard.