The Shenandoah Valley branch of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network, in conjunction with Feeding America, announces the second annual Hunger Action Month, a nationwide call-to-action effort to mobilize people everywhere to get involved with ending hunger in America this September.
In honor of Hunger Action Month, the Food Bank is asking Valley residents to take action by doing three things:
Give a little food: Join the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network at Kroger in Waynesboro from 4-7 p.m. Sept. 18 and at Kroger in Staunton from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19 for our Fill the Truck events. We’ll take your donated groceries and feed many hungry folks in the Valley as we try to fill a truck with food.
Give a little money: Skip buying lunch for a day, a week, or the whole month of September and brown bag lunch instead. Donate the money saved to the Food Bank and help purchase thousands of meals for the hungry. For example:
· Just $5 will provide 15 meals to the hungry ($1 = 3 meals)
· A $4 latte at your favorite coffee shop could help the Food Bank provide 12 meals to someone in need.
· Or, if you give up eating your $10 lunch out for a day, you could provide 30 meals to the hungry
Give a little time: Come visit us the Food Bank. We’ll give you a tour or you can help the hungry by becoming a volunteer. Help us sort food, pack food boxes, serve at a soup kitchen or at one of our pantries.
One in eight Americans struggles with hunger. In the Shenandoah Valley, the Food Bank is serving up to 29,000 people each month. Current numbers show that the Food Bank expects to distribute 5.2 million meals in the Shenandoah Valley this year. That’s 600,000 more meals than last year. In addition, nearly 15,000 children are served in the Valley each month. That’s why the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network is asking everyone to take action during Hunger Action Month and Give a Little, Feed a Lot.
“The tragedy of hunger today is not about a foreign country nor is it about some other community down the road. It is here in Augusta County, Rockbridge County, Rockingham County and places in between,” said Larry Zippin, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network. “It is our neighbor who lost a job; a friend whose house has been foreclosed upon; it is a senior on a fixed income who must choose between prescription medication and food. I hope that you will join the fight against hunger by participating as much and as often as you can in the Hunger Action Month events in the Valley.”
Throughout the month, participants may also visit www.brafb.org to learn more about how to help people struggling with hunger in their community.
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