Archive for the 'Hunger Action Month' Category

September 28, 2011

Another Successful Hunger Action Month

Author: Maria Diestro

It feels like just yesterday I was just finalizing our 30 Ways in 30 Days Hunger Action Month calendar.  I am devoting this blog post to all those who got involved with this year’s HAM and thanking everyone that helped make it happen. This year we did some new and exciting things to help raise awareness about hunger in our community.

The goal of our calendar was to show that even small actions can make a deep impact on the problem of hunger. We were super excited to receive a lot of positive feedback and can’t wait to make next year even bigger and better!

Hunger Action Month would not be possible without the support of our community partners.  They held partial proceeds nights at their restaurants, donated food, organized events for us and even let us join in their monthly community events. All our partners were very supportive and helped get the word out about Hunger Action Month. Read More …

September 20, 2011

Paper Plate Campaign

Author: Jen Gibson

As the government continues to wrestle with proposals to control the growing national deficit, difficult decisions will have to be made in the coming months on the federal budget.   A number of proposals have been put forward that cut many of the safety net programs that serve millions of low-income Americans.  If these cuts are included in the final budget, they will come at a time when unemployment and the need for food assistance remain stubbornly high. As a result, more and more people will be forced to seek help from food assistance programs, many of whom are already struggling to meet this record need.

In order to bring a voice to our neighbors whom are struggling to put food on the table we have begun a Paper Plate campaign. We are asking recipients of food assistance programs to let their voices be heard by filling paper plates with statements attesting to how important this food is to their family.  This campaign will offer our clients an easy, open-ended, and powerful way to advocate for themselves. For many this may be the first time they have done anything like this.

Read More …

September 20, 2011

Winding down September and Giving Back

Author: Maria Diestro

Our intern Melissa Kear, wraps up Hunger Action Month in this latest blog post. 

October is just around the corner, and with it (we hope!) comes cooler weather! Using our 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar, you can count down the last days of September and support Hunger Action Month every day of the week.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit our main facility for one of our popular Food for Thought Tours, please plan to join us Wednesday, September 21, 2011  6 pm for a special Food Bank tour of Second Harvest Food Bank. RSVP is required at CFLHungerAction.org. Spend one very interesting  hour with us learning about hunger in Central Florida and what Second Harvest is doing to help. Read More …

September 2, 2011

Heating up Labor Day Weekend with a Cause

Author: Maria Diestro

I’m super excited to introduce you to Melissa Kear, our fall intern. She has been doing an outstanding job and she has only been here 2 weeks. Look for more Hunger Action Month updates from her.

You know Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner when the grills are coming out, the store ads are streaked with holiday specials, and the television lineup is full of programs about barbecuing and dinner parties.  For some of us, we are just ready for that extra day off or an extended weekend, but while we are at the store stocking up on bags of chips, packs of hot dogs, and that extra large bag of charcoal, did you know that 1 in 4 children in Central Florida will be going to bed hungry tonight?

With an alarming statistic like that, it is hard not to pause and wonder what you can do to change those numbers  With the help of our 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar, we have made it easy for you to help fight hunger during your Labor Day holiday. Read More …

September 1, 2011

You Need it More Than Me

Author: Greg Higgerson

Once a month, teachers at an Orange County elementary school receive a delivery of small, shrink-wrapped packages. These packs include kid-friendly food items that are calorically-correct for an elementary-age student for two days.  On Fridays, teachers move from room to room, slipping the precious weekend food packs into the backpacks of the students that they know are at the greatest risk of being hungry when school begins again on Monday.  

Matthew is an eight-year old student at this school. One Friday afternoon, he eagerly opened his backpack before heading for home. His instant disappointment quickly turned to tears when he saw no food pack inside.   Read More …