August 31, 2010

Hunger Action Month is Here!

Author: Sasha Hausman

Hi all!

Can you believe that Hunger Action Month starts TOMORROW?? Food Banks all around the country are gearing up for an exciting September filled with many different events and programs. Of course Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is no exception.

Our call to action this year is “30 Ways in 30 Days”. We are giving everyone in the community 30 different ways they can help fight hunger in Central Florida.

Why is Hunger Action Month important?
Approximately 1 in 5 of our population—732,000 people—needed food assistance in Central Florida last year. This is a 152% increase from 2006. The only way we can close the gap on hunger is with the community’s help. The need is tremendous in Central Florida…but so is the impact you can have.

So how can I help?

OK, here’s the deal…be sure to check out our Hunger Action Month Microsite. On this site, you will find everything you need to know about the activities happening throughout September. You will also find a downloadable copy of our “30 Ways in 30 Days” Calendar. Print it out and check out the action each day!
 
Here are some highlights…

• Hunger Action Month Kick-off: September 2nd at CRAVE Restaurant from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. We will be sharing our 30 ways calendar and explaining what everyone can do to take action this September.

• TAKE THE PLEDGE! The food bank that receives the most amount of pledges will receive a truckload of food from Feeding America. Take the pledge here and don’t forget to tell your friends!

• JOIN THE HUDDLE! Kraft Foods is sponsoring the “Huddle to Fight Hunger”. Along with many other initiatives, they are giving each food bank 1 meal for everyone who joins the huddle and gives a zip code in their service area. So be sure to join the huddle and give a Central Florida zip code!

• PORTRAITS OF HUNGER SHOWCASE: The winner of our Portraits of Hunger Photography contest will be announced along with a display of the photo submissions that we received for the contest. Bring a bag or box of food donations (non-perishable) and receive one ticket for a free bottle of Peroni. One free Peroni per person. We hope to see you at Enzian’s Eden Bar on Thursday, September 30! Program starts at 7:30 p.m.

I hope everyone is excited for Hunger Action Month! We would love it if you could send our Hunger Action Month e-card to your friends to let them know all about what they can do to help this September.

My personal “way” I am helping out this month is by BOGOing. Whenever I go food shopping, I will buy one for me, and get one for a family in need. I can’t wait to see what your “way” is.
 
Happy Hunger Action Month!

Sasha Hausman
Development Manager

August 27, 2010

What Are YOU Doing in September to Help Fight Hunger?

Author: Maria Diestro

Throughout Hunger Action Month, Feeding America’s nationwide network of more than 200 food banks is calling upon communities to take action through the “30 Ways in 30 Days” campaign.

Whether it’s by advocating and raising awareness, making donations, or giving of your time and energy, find the way that’s right for you to make a difference during Hunger Action Month.

 

 
Look Who’s Helping:

 

Please leave us a comment below and let us know what YOUR WAY of fighting hunger is this September.

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

August 24, 2010

Portraits of Hunger Photography Contest is Back

Author: Maria Diestro

Can you believe that Hunger Action Month is only 7 days away? One Hunger Action Month event we are bringing back is Portraits of Hunger. Portraits of Hunger is an online photography contest that brings light to the invisible problem of hunger in our community and the simple solutions.

Portraits of Hunger started in 2006 as a way to engage the community in bringing visibility to the invisible problem of hunger. Through this event, photographers of all abilities have gone out into their community to capture images that tell the story of hunger in Central Florida.

Last year 17 photographers participated in Portraits of Hunger. We received some pretty amazing photos of the faces and solutions of hunger in Central Florida. Below is a slideshow of their photo entries:

The winner of Portraits of Hunger 2009 was G.K. Sharman for her photograph titled: Courage.  

This year’s winner of Portraits of Hunger will have their photo displayed at Enzian Theater for a limited time. This is a great opportunity for a photographer to get some exposure. Thank you Enzian Theater!

So how does this photography contest work? The deadline to submit photos for Portraits of Hunger is Monday, August 30, 2010.

If you are interested, there is still time to enter the contest.  Click here to enter contest >>

From there the top ten photos will be chosen and posted on our website.

Online voting will start in early September. The top 3 winners will then be voted on by our three judges.

This year’s Portraits of Hunger judges are:
- Henry Maldonado, President of Enzian Theater
- Josh Garrick, Fine Art and Culture Writer for a series of news and on-line venues
- Dave Krepcho, President of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida

The winner will be announced at our Portraits of Hunger Showcase party at Enzian’s Eden Bar on Thursday, September 30. All the photo entries will also be showcased at Eden Bar for that night.

Portraits of Hunger Showcase Party
Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Enzian’s Eden Bar – 1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Bring a food donation and receive a free Peroni. One free Peroni per person. But feel free to bring as many cans as you’d like!

Click here to view photos from last year’s Portraits of Hunger Showcase. Hope to see you at Eden Bar on September 30!

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

September 17, 2009

14 More Days Left of Hunger Action Month

Author: Maria Diestro

I can’t believe that Hunger Action Month is halfway over.  There are only 14 more days left in September and the days are moving fast. We aim to finish the month with a bang!  Thank you for spreading the word about Hunger Action Month. If you haven’t yet, please send this ecard to all of your family and friends and encourage them to support the fight against hunger.

Portraits of Hunger Update!  Our online voting contest ends this Friday. Drumroll .. the top three photos as of 2 p.m. this afternoon are: Snack Time Smiles, Courage, Loneliness (in no particular order). Voting ends tomorrow at 5 p.m. Click here to vote! Don’t forget that you can vote more than once.  

Its time to continue with our Hunger Action Month Ways to Fight Hunger Countdown :

#13 Way to Fight Hunger: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Sony Pictures new movie “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” is helping raise awareness about domestic hunger with children and their parents. By becoming a Hunger Helper like the characters in the movie,  kids learn about hunger and how they can make a difference in their community.  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs hits theaters this Friday.

Feeding America has also created an area on their Web site where kids can become hunger helpers.  One feature of the site is the Food Catcher game. For every gold apple that you catch Sony will donate 1 meal to Feeding America. I have only been able to get 3 apples, I hope you can do better than me. Once you finish, you even get a certificate that you can print out with your name on it. What a creative way to get kids involved in the fight for hunger!

PSA video of Flint explaining why its fun to be a Hunger Helper:
 

#12 Way to Fight Hunger: Cheesecake Factory Drive Out Hunger Tour
During Hunger Action Month, The Cheesecake Factory will visit 30 cities in 30 days on the “Drive Out Hunger” Tour collecting soup cans in support of Feeding America and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. David Arquette helped launch the tour in LA on September 1 (picture to the left).

 The grand finale party is going to be in Washington D.C. on September 30. We hope you get involved in this amazing campaign.

There are 3 ways that you can participate:

1. Orlando Tour Stop. The Drive Out Hunger Tour will be at the Cheesecake Factory at The Mall of Millenia on Monday, September 21 from 7 a.m til 10 p.m.  The first 500 people that bring in 2 cans of soup will get a free slice of Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. XL106.7 will also be there providing some entertainment. Tamar Kaprelian – a former Cheesecake Factory staff member, now an accomplished singer/songwriter – will also be there.  Her hit song, “New Day” was featured on the popular MTV series “The Hills,” and is now the driving anthem behind the ‘Drive Out Hunger’ Tour. A portion of her song’s sales are going to Feeding America in September. 
 
2. You Dine, We Donate Event. Just bring 2 cans of soup when you dine on September 30th, and Cheescake Factory will donate 10% of your check to Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

3. Buy Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. When you buy a slice, Cheesecake Factory will done 25 cents to Feeding America. If you buy online, Cheesecake Factory will donate a $1.

Stop by the Drive Out Hunger Web site for full details of this campaign. Make sure to check out the map of where the bus tour is now and also the photo mosaic from photos of people at each of the stops. I hope to see you bright and early on Monday morning at the Cheesecake Factory at Millenia Mall!

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

September 15, 2009

Macy’s Wants to Provide 10 Million Meals

Author: Maria Diestro

Macy’s Come+Together Campaign has launched and it aims to raise 10 million meals for Feeding America and its network of food banks. In case you didn’t know, Second Harvest Food Bank is proudly within that network. The campaign runs from September 13 to October 21. Below is a short summary of the campaign and how YOU can get involved. For full details visit Macy’s Come Together Web site.

#16 Way to Fight Hunger: Macy’s Come Together Campaign

Dinner’s ready and you’re invited! On September 15th (today), Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida will help our local Macy’s stores host a celebration as part of the national kick off event . We will join more than 650 participating Macy’s stores in a simultaneous “first course” meal. Everyone will get their first taste of the Come Together campaign as Macy’s hosts The World’s Largest Dinner Party. There will be a selection of appetizers and in some stores a live dj.

Join a Second Harvest Food Bank representative at any of the following 8 Macy’s locations in Central Florida at 6 p.m. today. We look forward to celebrating the campaign launch with you. Locations: Altamonte Mall, The Florida Mall, Melbourne Square Mall, Orlando Fashion Square, The Mall at Millenia, Oviedo Marketplace, Seminole Towne Center and Volusia Mall. You won’t want to miss it!  Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida will directly benefit from the Macy’s Come Together campaign.

If you can’t make the kick-off event, below are the three ways that you can participate.

HOST a Dinner to Raise Money:
Macy’s has dedicated a whole Web site to equipt you with everything you need to host the most memorable dinner party ever. Macy’s Culinary Council, made up of 15 world-renowned chefs including Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, Todd English, Wolfgang Puck, as well as entertaining authority Martha Stewart, will serve as the experts of this campaign, offering up dinner party themes, recipe ideas, product suggestions and even their suggested playlists, to help America host delectable and entertaining dinners. Invite your closest friends and help Macy’s provide 10 million meals nationwide. The website lets you register your dinner party. Its also will help you create invitations that you can send to your friends. After your dinner party is over, you can go straight to the site and donate the money that you collected.

Here is a behind the scenes look at the commercial currently airing with some famous faces:

GIVE a $1 Donation at any Macy’s: Macy’s will match your donation dollar for dollar until the goal of 10 million meals is reached. Thank you Macy’s!

SHOP for a Cause on October 17: On October 17, Macy’s will give back to the Central Florida area through funds raised during their in-store and on-line Shop for a Cause event.  For $5, participants will experience a unique shopping day at their local Macy’s store, including great discounts, special events, and an opportunity to win $500. $5 tickets are available at either your local Macy’s store or at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.  Funds raised through Shop for a Cause directly benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

One last thing, Macy’s is also giving you the chance to enter its Come Together Sweepstakes. Win one of four pretty cool prizes on the Come Together Web site.   Prizes: 4-night Disney Cruise Line Bahamian Vacation, a 5-night stay at any small luxry Hotels of the World location, a HP TouchSmart PC and my personal favorite: Dinner for 4 at one of our celebrity chef’s restaurants. Good Luck!

Come Together and Help Fight Hunger!

Thank you to Macy’s for inviting Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida to the table!

Maria Diestro
Online Services and Communications Manager

P.S. I will be posting another blog later this week on more Hunger Action Month events. Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out our 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar.