No One Should Be Hungry in America

America's Second Harvest
Wednesday, 5 June 2002

America's Second Harvest Announces Theme of First Annual National Hunger Awareness Day

America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity, today sponsors the first-ever "National Hunger Awareness Day". Through its national network of more than 200 food banks and food-rescue organizations and its partnerships with government, industry and public-interest associations America's Second Harvest is urging America to learn more about hunger through activities across the country, based on the overarching theme: No one should be hungry in America.

There will be events in every state in America. The Tucson Community Food Bank kick-off its Summer Kids Cafe program. The food bank in Winston-Salem, NC as part of its 20th Anniversary Year hosts a daylong agency conference. A special lunch for 250 children/youth occurs at a local Boys & Girls Club, sponsored by Panera Bread and the Atlanta Community Food Bank to highlight the increased demand for healthy meals during school vacations.

These and scores of other activities will bring attention to the increasing problem of hunger, and solutions available at the community, state and national level. Each event is designed to encourage students, teachers, parents, business leaders, and community leaders to take action to end hunger in America by volunteering, hosting a food drive, making a financial gift, spreading the word.

It is particularly important that the event is slated for June, when American children - and their parents - look forward to a release from school and the start of summer vacation. This summer will also be a three-month challenge for an increasing number of American families with parents who are among the almost two million people who lost jobs during 2001, or had their hours cut during the school year.

"Our organization has seen the impact of the economic uncertainty, in an increase in demand at more than 80 percent of our affiliated food banks and food-rescue organizations, " said Robert Forney, President and CEO of America's Second Harvest. "Our agencies are bracing for the even greater demand that comes when summer vacation starts," he concluded.

Two-thirds of the children America's Second Harvest emergency agencies serve participate in the school lunch program but only 14 percent receive lunch during summer. Sixty-eight percent of soup kitchens report dramatic increases in the number of children they serve in the summer. To cope with the increase, food banks, food-rescue organizations, community-based charities, schools, park districts, local governments, and faith-based organizations are providing structured summer programs that include meals and snacks as a major component.

America's Second Harvest is also supporting several legislative initiatives to alleviate hunger and improve the distribution of donated food. They include strong support for Congressional action of the CARE Act, S. 1924, which would provide a new tax incentive to family farmers, small businesses and independent restaurant owners that would make in-kind food donations financially viable. The measure would allow all food donors - regardless of the types of business they operate -to take a charitable tax deduction for that donation.

Finally, America's Second Harvest and its partners are working to improve federal laws providing important child and family nutrition programs, including WIC and school and summer food service programs. USDA reports that the number of children served free and reduced price lunch has increased every year in the past five years. During the same time, more than five million people eligible for food stamps - the nation's bedrock anti-hunger program -have dropped out. Four out of every 10 Americans eligible for food stamps - 12 million people - aren't getting them, even though the number of Americans who face hunger has increased from 31 to 33 million in the past year.

For more information, or to contact America's Second Harvest, see their website at: www.secondharvest.org