Second Harvest Food Bank joins Feeding America® Network Food Banks across the Country Promote Hunger Action Month™
WATSONVILLE — This September Second Harvest Food Bank, together with the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks, will mobilize across all 50 states in an effort to bring an end to hunger. Hunger Action Month is designed to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of the fact that 48 million Americans, including 15 million children, are food insecure, according to the USDA.
This year the Hunger Action Month campaign will focus on the strong connections between hunger and health, asking people to consider how it must feel to live with an empty stomach, which puts a healthy life and a promising future at risk.
“Feeding people in need is about more than just alleviating hunger,” Second Harvest CEO Willy Elliott-McCrea observed. “It’s also about giving people enough of a leg up that they can reach their full potential—especially children, who cannot grow or learn on an empty stomach.”
According to the Feeding America study, Hunger in America 2014, nearly half of households served by the Feeding America network include someone who is in either fair or poor health.
“I’ve spent many days on the road this past year, visiting food banks, food pantries, and meal programs and meeting people who are facing hunger,” said Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America. “I’ve seen firsthand the anguish that food insecurity and hunger can cause. It is always heartbreaking to meet a mother or father who fears that they will not be able to feed their children. They know that their children cannot reach their full potential if they don’t have enough to eat.”
To learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank and other ways you can get involved in Hunger Action Month in Santa Cruz County, please visit www.thefoodbank.org or HungerAction Month.org.
Founded in 1972, Second Harvest Food Bank was the first food bank in California and the second in the nation. Its mission is to end hunger and malnutrition by educating and involving the community. Its network of 200 local agencies and programs feeds 55,000 people in Santa Cruz County every month. For every dollar donated, it provides four healthy meals. “Together we fight hunger all year long.” www.thefoodbank.org.
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Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. They provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security, educates the public about the problem of hunger, and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org