This September Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County will participate together with Feeding America’s nationwide network of food banks in a mobilization across all 50 states in an effort to bring an end to hunger. Hunger Action Month will inspire people to take actions to end hunger and raise awareness of food insecurity nationwide. According to the USDA, 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, are food insecure. In Santa Cruz County an estimated 1 in 5 residents face hunger, and for children the estimate is even higher—1 in 4.
September marks the twelfth year the Feeding America network has organized this annual call to action. This year the campaign will focus on the strong connections between hunger and health. This year’s campaign seeks 40,000 national actions – a volunteer shift, a social media post, or a donation – from the public that will help end hunger one helping at a time.
In Santa Cruz County to spread the call to fight hunger and contribute to the 40,000 actions across the nation, Second Harvest is pushing out the “Put On The Cape Campaign” to create awareness and encourage community participation with:
- Social Media Posts
- Weekly Facebook Live featuring individuals and groups involved with volunteerism and fundraising.
- A special “Put On The Cape” video featuring organizations, businesses and individuals throughout Santa Cruz County who are participating in Hunger Action Month.
In fact, “There’s no one person or agency—and no superhero—who will swoop in and end hunger,” Second Harvest CEO Willy Elliott-McCrea observed. “Whether through volunteering, advocacy, or donating, it’s ordinary people without superpowers who fight hunger, and they are the real heroes,” he proclaimed.
To join the fight, Second Harvest has suggested three specific things the public can do:
- Volunteer—Second Harvest always needs community members, to help sort and pack food, assist with events, or contribute at any skill level.
- Advocate—Spread the word on social media: on a paper plate write, “On an empty stomach I can’t ______,” and fill in the blank with something you couldn’t achieve without adequate food and nutrition. Then post it to Facebook with #HungerActionMonth, @SecondHarvestSantaCruz and @FeedingAmerica.
- Donate—Second Harvest can turn every dollar donated into four healthy meals for people in need. To donate visit thefoodbank.org.
To learn more about Second Harvest Food Bank and other ways you can get involved in fighting hunger in Santa Cruz County, please visit www.thefoodbank.org