Hello August! 4 Ways You Can Still Fight Summer Hunger!
School’s still out and summer is still in full swing! Summer should be a fun, happy season for children – especially the final days of summer, with little faces kissed by the sun and eager to meet each day with a sense of adventure, excitement and even wonder. What should not be a part of each summer day for South Jersey children is the crushing sting of hunger.
The good news is that the Food Bank of South Jersey continues to work with communities and neighborhoods throughout Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties to help start each summer morning right – with healthy breakfasts, lunches in the sun and households equipped with the nutrition to fuel families. While summer food insecurity remains high throughout South Jersey, with hunger reaching 1 in 5 and even, for some communities in South Jersey, 1 in 4 children, there is still time to make an impact – and fight hunger individually or even spark a movement amongst family, friends, colleagues and social media networks.
There is still time to fight hunger this summer! Here are 4 ways!
Get to Know the Food Bank of South Jersey: With the help of community change agents like you, the Food Bank of South Jersey remains committed to being a trusted and reliable resource for children, individuals, seniors and veterans who are in need of food resources. Learn more about the impact of the Food Bank of South Jersey by reading visiting www.foodbanksj.org and reviewing updates on Community Impact, Food Bank News and Case for Support.
Stay Informed: The best way to keep up-to-date on all the latest happenings at the Food Bank of South Jersey is by following @foodbankSJ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You’ll see great updates on robust hunger-relief programs, nutrition education initiatives, and program highlights, not to mention ways to get involved in virtual food drives, volunteering at a host of upcoming drive-up food distributions and even get tips on delicious and nutritious recipes you can try at home – courtesy of the food bank’s Health and Wellness Team, the nutrition experts behind Hunger Bites, the food bank’s healthy cooking show!
Start a Fundraiser: Rally your friends, family, colleagues or community groups to help you raise funds on behalf of the Food Bank of South Jersey! Start a Facebook fundraiser or create a team fundraiser through the food bank’s online platform today. See if a virtual food drive is the right pathway to fighting food insecurity for you and your community. Did you know $1 provides three meals?
Donate Food: The best way to donate food is by contributing to our virtual food drive. Your support allows the Food Bank of South Jersey to take advantage of our bulk purchasing power to help your dollars stretch further, providing meals and supplies to the Food Bank of South Jersey’s network of over 200 agency partners, to be distributed to those facing hunger in our communities. Right now, more than 1 in 7 residents in South Jersey are food insecure. Sadly, more than 1 in ever 5 children, and in some South Jersey communities 1 in ever 4 children, are food insecure.
Do you know if the child living across the street has eaten breakfast today? Do you know if the children you see out running errands with their mothers go home to empty refrigerators and sparse dinners? Are you aware that child food insecurity, right now, in South Jersey is at an unmatched crisis for the region?
The truth is, right now, there are too many hungry children living in South Jersey. In fact, shockingly, more than 26,500 children have joined the ranks of food insecure throughout Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties. Living in homes with parents overwhelmed with the reality of needing to rely on food assistance for the first time, these children are the most vulnerable victims of COVID. When the economy of a household crumbles, children feel it – any time of year.
One thing children should not feel during the heat of summer is the despair of hunger.