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.

Start off your Sunday with a “Like” on our Facebook page! Help us hit 3,000 Likes for September, plus keep up with your community food bank and the many ways you can help throughout the year, or ways that you yourself can find help in tough times.

On Labor Day, head on over to Five Guys Burgers & Fries to load up on double-stacked burgers and hand cut fries from 5-9pm.  They will be donating 10% of sales to the Second Harvest Food Bank, so make sure to mention us when you go in!

If burgers aren’t your thing, Tuesday is the day for crabs, from Joe’s Crab Shack that is!  Bring in our calendar flyer from 11 am to 11 pm, and Joe’s Crab Shack will donate 10% of your bill to Second Harvest Food Bank.  

As the week progresses, get over Hump Day by visiting the Cheesecake Factory.  For every Hershey’s Chocolate Bar Cheesecake you purchase, $0.25 goes to Feeding America.

By the time Thursday comes around, the weekend is in sight!  Make dinner time easier by ordering at NYPD Pizza in College Park. From 4 pm to 10 pm, they will be donating 15% of your bill to Second Harvest. All you need to do is mention Second Harvest plus this is good for dine-in or delivery.

Don’t worry, we’ve made Friday even easier! Follow us on Twitter at @2HarvestCFL and use the hash tag #hungeraction to join in on the hunger conversation or share it with friends.

Finally, wind down on Saturday by visiting choosemyplate.org. Learn how easy it can be to include all 5 food groups into your meals and learn to start eating healthier!  You will find lots of resources, recipes, tips to get you and your family healthy and eating right.

Remember, September is Hunger Action Month, which means everyday is a chance to do something to benefit your community and fight the hunger epidemic that is plaguing our neighbors and friends.  

Never think that 10% or 15% of your bill can’t make a difference.  For every $1 Second Harvest receives, it puts out $9 in food value.  That means if 10% of your bill is only $3, that is $27 worth of food that has just been given to somebody in need.

From everybody at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, have a great Labor Day Weekend, and thank you for all that you do!

Melissa Kear
Second Harvest Food Bank intern

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