Friday, August 29, 2014

NATION’S LARGEST NETWORK OF FOOD BANKS UNITES TO RAISE HUNGER AWARENESS DURING SEPTEMBER’S HUNGER ACTION MONTH™

Feeding America® Turns OrangeTM to Solve Hunger for 49 Million Americans

Grand Rapids, MN (September 1, 2014) - Hunger advocates from Grand Rapids and across the country will be wearing orange on Thursday, September 4 in an effort to raise awareness of the 49 million people in the United States who struggle with hunger. It is just one of the many awareness events taking place throughout the month of September in recognition of Feeding America's Hunger Action Month - a month-long campaign to help end hunger in our country.

Starting Monday, September 1, Second Harvest North Central Food Bank along with other food banks in the Feeding America network will kick off Hunger Action Month by holding events throughout the country to inspire people to take action to help the millions of people who are food insecure in the United States.

Events include everything from asking businesses across the country to light their buildings orange (the symbolic color of hunger) to food packing events at food banks across the country. Thousands of volunteers are expected to participate in food bank activities throughout the United States.


“We are continuing to see high levels of need even as our economy is recovering. Low-wage workers are the hardest hit and the last to recover,” says Sue Estee, Executive Director of Second Harvest.  “Every day we work to solve hunger. September is the time of year when we strive to get the message out and engage people in our mission of ending hunger.”

According to the USDA, 49 million Americans are food insecure which means they may not know where their next meal is coming from. This includes 16 million children and nearly five million seniors.

Here in north central Minnesota, about 12 percent of the population struggles with hunger, including 8,990 children.

“There is more than enough food to feed every man, woman and child in this country, yet one in six Americans are facing hunger,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “By raising awareness and working together, we can solve hunger."
Some of the events taking place include:
·  Hunger Action Day - Wear orange to support hunger awareness (Thursday, September 4)
·  Light up Orange for Hunger - Buildings around the country will be turning their lights orange throughout the month to show their support. The tree at Old Central School in Grand Rapids will light up orange thanks to Minnesota Power, Lake Country Power, and the City of Grand Rapids. (Buildings that lit up orange in 2013 included: the Empire State Building in New York City, the Nashville Courthouse in Nashville, Miami Tower in Miami, and the Jewelers Building in Chicago.)
·  Public Service Hunger Action Day, September 9
·  Hunger Action 5K, September 20
·  Kids Pack Volunteer Day, September 22


To learn more about Hunger Action Month, please visit www.hungeractionmonth.org.

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About Second Harvest North Central Food Bank  
Second Harvest North Central Food Bank serves 130 hunger relief agencies in Koochiching, Itasca, Cass, Aitkin, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs and Kanabec counties. Over 4.5 million pounds of food and grocery products were distributed through those agencies in 2013. For more information regarding Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, visit www.secondharvestncfb.com or call 218.326.4420.

 

About Feeding America
Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 37 million people through 61,000 food pantries, community kitchens, and emergency shelters across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit http://www.feedingamerica.org/. Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

 

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