Harvest Hope Food Bank Asks South Carolina to Take Action to End Hunger
Staff Report From South Carolina CEO
Tuesday, September 4th, 2018
This September Harvest Hope 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 41 million Americans, including nearly 13 million children, are food insecure, according to the USDA.
In the 20-county area serviced by Harvest Hope, more than 300,000 people struggle with hunger and may not know where they’ll find their next meal. That number includes one in 5 kids who may not have enough to eat.
September marks the eleventh year the Feeding America network of food banks has organized this annual call to action and the sixth year Harvest Hope has participated in the Hunger Action Month movement. This year the campaign will focus on the strong connections between hunger and health.
The Hunger Action Month 2018 campaign asks people to consider how it must feel to live with an empty stomach, which puts a healthy life and a promising future at risk.
“We recognize that hunger and poor health are inherently linked,” said interim CEO Keith Ferrell. “Here in our state, one in seven individuals are impacted by hunger. That is why South Carolina food banks are working diligently together to ensure that our most vulnerable communities have access to nutritious foods that promote health and well-being, especially our children.”
Hunger Action Day, the second Thursday in September, is a day where efforts across the country are focused for greater impact.
This year, on September 13th, Harvest Hope asks supporters to share what they couldn’t do without adequate nutrition by writing on an empty plate, “On an empty stomach I can’t ______,” and filling in the blank with something they couldn’t achieve without the nutrition we need to thrive.