HOW WILL YOU CHOOSE TO END HUNGER? – SEPTEMBER 2
Author: Claire Hurd
For many, a daily meal is a simple choice of what to eat. But for nearly 1 in 8 people in our community, a daily meal poses a very different type of choice. It is often an impossible choice between food and other crucial needs, such as electricity, childcare or medicine. There is no luxury of what to eat. The choice is IF they eat.
Food should not be an impossible choice.
This September marks the kick-off for Hunger Action Month. Hunger Action Month is the Feeding America network’s annual nationwide campaign designed to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of hunger on both a local and national level. Second Harvest is a dedicated hunger relief partner of the Feeding America network, and we are asking you to take action during Hunger Action Month.
Hunger Action Month is a time to come together to take action to end hunger. You can choose to donate, advocate, volunteer, or raise awareness.
How will you choose to end hunger?
LEARN
Learn about hunger in your community Hunger & Poverty in the United States | Map the Meal Gap (feedingamerica.org)
COMMIT
Donate donate – 2nd Harvest (2-harvest.org)
Fundraise host a fundraiser – 2nd Harvest (2-harvest.org)
Sign the Pledge Campaign to End Hunger | Feeding America
Volunteer volunteer – 2nd Harvest (2-harvest.org)
SPEAK UP
Tell Congress: End Military Hunger Tell Congress: No U.S. service member should struggle to put food on the table! – Feeding America
Fill the Plate: Tell Congress Why Hunger Matters Feeding America
Nobody should be forced to choose between food and medicine, or food and electricity, or food and any other basic need. You have a choice. Choose to end hunger.
We asked our friends at Gesa Credit Union,
our Hunger Action Month sponsors, how they plan to take action this September and Gesa’s Community Relations Specialist, Rafael Saucedo said:
“To raise awareness about food insecurity and mobilize the public to take action, we’re inviting people to donate food, donate time, and donate money during Hunger Action Month. We will be doing this by:
- Collecting non-perishable food items at each of our branch locations all month long.
- Organizing team member volunteer days with Food Lifeline in Seattle and Second Harvest in Spokane and Pasco. At Gesa, we want to make sure that hands follow the dollars by being active participants in our communities. We encourage everyone to take some time to volunteer this month at Food Lifeline, Second Harvest, or a food pantry near you.
- Investing $50,000 that our partner organizations – Food Lifeline and Second Harvest – will leverage as matching challenges in order to generate awareness and raise additional funds. One dollar provides food for five meals, which means that even small contributions can make a difference.”
Gesa is truly walking the walk with these outstanding steps they’re taking towards fighting local hunger. We’re so thankful to have this dedicated community partner join us in raising hunger awareness this month.
If you’re interested in using Gesa’s gift match this month, click here.
And remember to tag us on social media so we can share and interact with your Hunger Action Month activities!
Food Safety First: – April 19
In January and March, AIB International conducted audits of our facilities – the Pasco Distribution Center, the Spokane Distribution Center and the Wolff Family Child Hunger Solution Center. As has been the case for more than a decade, we received scores of 930 or higher, out of a possible 1000. Anything above 900 is considered exemplary.
While receiving high scores from AIB is important, we are equally proud of the fact that any day of the year, our team is always working to keep our buildings clean and our food supply safe. This speaks to the strong food safety culture we have here at Second Harvest.
A celebration of our volunteers – April 12
Volunteering doesn’t have to be a one-time thing and the individuals who volunteer at Second Harvest in Spokane and Pasco have proven that in many ways. Even though April is nationally recognized as Volunteer Month, our gratitude for your service is year-round. In the last couple of years, the Volunteer Center in Spokane has gone through various changes and adjustments to keep up with the increase in food demand, prompted first by COVID in 2020 and then by inflation. Even with the changes, our volunteer support has stayed and become even stronger. Our community is filled with mission-driven individuals to help us feed, nourish and build the community around us.
In The Kitchen: Food Waste Prevention Week – April 5
Earth Month is the perfect opportunity to reflect on our habits and how they impact the planet. We might think about how often we drive and take advantage of the nicer weather to bike to work, or maybe even grab some friends and family and find a river cleanup event for Earth Day. But did you know that you can make an impact without even leaving your house? In fact, reflecting on our cooking and grocery shopping habits has the potential to have a greater and long-lasting impact on our environment.
Feeding Eastern Washington and North Idaho
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