For Immediate Release
Eastern Illinois Foodbank Asks Local Communities to Take Action to End Hunger
[Urbana, IL] – In eastern Illinois nearly 100,000 of our neighbors struggle with hunger and may not know where they’ll find their next meal. Hunger affects many people—like Blanca, who works full-time as a medical assistant. Even with her income and her husband’s part-time job, they still struggle to put food on the table and support their two daughters. And it affects 7-year-old Iliana, who wants to be a doctor when she grows up because she wants to help people – just like the School Pantry Program helps her get the nutritious food she needs to thrive.
That is why, this September, Eastern Illinois Foodbank joins Feeding America food banks across the country to take part in Hunger Action Month and inspire people to take action and raise awareness of the fact that 40 million Americans, including 12.5 million children and 5.5 million seniors, are food insecure.
This year’s campaign seeks 40,000 actions – a volunteer shift, a social media post, or a donation – from the public that will help end hunger one helping at a time.
“It’s important that the people we serve in our community have access to enough food to reach their full potential or thrive, especially our children, who cannot grow, succeed or learn when hungry,” said Jim Hires, President & CEO of Eastern Illinois Foodbank. “The people facing hunger could be our neighbors, kids in our children’s classes and others, often much closer than we think. That’s why it’s important for our community to remember that every action counts when it comes to fighting hunger.”
Eastern Illinois Foodbank has many activities planned to engage the community in hunger relief and awareness building, including:
· Partner Recognition Event on September 5 at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign. The event, sponsored by the East Central Illinois Building & Construction Trades Council, will feature awards given to EIF’s community partners that have contributed to its mission over the last fiscal year.
· Hunger Awareness Luncheon on September 17 at the McLean County Unit 5 office in Normal. The luncheon will feature a presentation and discussion of hunger in the Bloomington-Normal community.
· Operation Orange on September 27 at Eastern Illinois Foodbank in Urbana. This 12-hour volunteer event will allow individuals and groups to repackage bulk food into smaller portions to be distributed throughout EIF’s 18-county service area.
“Hunger Action Month is a time for us to take action and help our neighbors and friends struggling to put food on the table,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. “Every state and every county in this country have people facing hunger. Our network of food banks and partner food pantries and meal programs are positioned to serve all of them. You can help at the local level by volunteering, engaging, advocating and donating, and together we can end hunger one helping at a time.”
September marks the twelfth year the Feeding America network has organized this annual call to action. To learn more about Eastern Illinois Foodbank and other ways you can get involved for Hunger Action Month in eastern Illinois, please visit eifoodbank.org or HungerActionMonth.org. You can also join the conversation by posting photos or stories to social media with #HungerActionMonth, @eifoodbank and @FeedingAmerica.
