More Than 50 Million People in the US Face Hunger; Wear Orange to Show Your Support on Sept. 5th

Hunger advocates from Northwest Indiana and across the country will be wearing orange on Sept. 5 in an effort to raise awareness of the more than 50 million people in the US who face hunger. It’s just one of the many awareness events taking place throughout the month of September in recognition of Hunger Action Month – a month-long campaign to help end hunger in our country.

Staring Sept. 1, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and other food banks in the Feeding America network, will kick off Hunger Action Month by holding events throughout the country to inspire people to take action to help the millions of people who are food insecure in the United States.

Food Bank of Northwest Indiana events will include a Mobile Market on September 5th at the Wicker Park Pavilion, 2nd Annual Civic Food Fight also on September 5th at Wicker Park, volunteer appreciation BBQ on September 14th, Spread the Love: Stuff the Truck peanut butter collection day on September 19th at Purdue Calumet, Spread the Love Peanut Butter food drive collections at all Valparaiso University home athletic events, and a Family Fun Night fundraiser at JAK’S Warehouse in Schererville on September 25th featuring a special guest appearance by one of the Chicago Blackhawks.

“Hunger Action Month is all about doing little things that build up to having a big impact. It’s designed to show people that even the smallest acts make a difference, whether it’s donating a jar of peanut butter or helping us spread the word about Mobile Market. With over 658,000 people in Northwest Indiana, those small acts multiply into big change,” said Arleen Peterson, Executive Director of the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana.

The issue of hunger is of particular importance now when 1 in 6 people in the United States are at risk of hunger. Nationally, there are more than 50 million people who struggle with hunger – including 16.7 million children. Here in Northwest Indiana, about 16.2 percent of the population struggles with hunger, including 33,500 children.

“It’s a shame that in the ‘land of plenty’ we have neighbors and friends who have to worry about where they will get their next meal,” said Bob Aiken, CEO of Feeding America. “By raising awareness and working together, we can solve hunger.”

Food Bank of Northwest Indiana events will be held:

• The Mobile Market takes place from 3pm to 5:30pm. A spin off of the Pantry on the Go program, the distribution will be set up like a farmers market with clients being given $25 worth of “Food Bank Bucks” to shop the market.
• The 2nd Annual Civic Food Fight takes place from 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Local legislators will attend a luncheon to learn more about hunger in the area and how the Food Bank helps fight the issue, and will also volunteer at the Mobile Market.
• The Spread the Love: Stuff the Truck peanut butter collection will take place in the parking lot in front of the Hospitality & Tourism Management Building at Purdue Calumet from 10am to 2pm. Members of the community are encouraged to stop by and drop off any peanut butter donations they have to help Stuff the Truck. Anyone making a donation of 10 or more jars will receive a free Hunger Action Month t-shirt. Donations can also be made at Valparaiso University sporting events on September 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, and 28th. For more information visit www.valpoathletics.com.
• The Family Fun Night will be held from 5pm to 9pm at JAK’S Warehouse. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.foodbanknwievents.org. All proceeds from the event go towards our new HOPE Project program, a tutoring and mentoring program designed to help kids break the generational cycle of poverty. Tickets are $50 for an individual, $125 for a family of up to five people, and $300 for up to ten people. The ticket includes all attractions as well as food and dessert bar.

To learn more about Hunger Action Month, please visit www.foodbanknwi.org.

The Food Bank of Northwest Indiana is located in Gary and supplies food to almost 100 pantries and soup kitchens in Lake and Porter Counties. In addition to distributing food to their member agencies the Food Bank also runs the BackPack, Kid’s Café, Food Rescue and Pantry on the Go programs and offers pantry referrals. Last year the Food Bank distributed over 5.1 million pounds of food, and served over 5,000 individuals a week.