This will be short and sweet pitch for your help to feed hungry kids. Summertime means some additional stress for many families, but those who are already stretched thin, it gets a lot thinner. During the school year, children who meet state requirements can get one or two meals at school to supplement what their family can provide. In the summer, those programs close when the school does.
Did you know that your donation of $1 can stretch to $7 at the Utah Food Bank (by way of volunteers and donations)? Did you know that a few items from your pantry would make the difference between a lazy summer day and a hungry one?
The Utah Food Bank works in our state to try to fight hunger in Utah.
Here's a few highlights taken from the UtahFoodBank.org website:
Hunger in Utah
- 1 in 10 Utahns, and 1 in 8 Utah children, lives in poverty.
- An impoverished family of four makes about $22,000 a year to cover health care costs, shelter, food, and other household expenses.
- Utah is ranked fourth in the nation for the highest rate of very low food security in the nation. About 400,000 Utahns risk missing one meal every day.
- More than 134,000 Utahns receive food stamps, and 63,000 eat dinner at a soup kitchen.
- 1 in 7 Utah children is at risk of hunger, and nearly 40 percent receive free or reduced school lunch.
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau: Annual Social and Economic Supplement, 2009; Child Food Insecurity in the United States, 2005–2007; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Household Food Security in the United States, 2007; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2005; Utahns Against Hunger, 2006; U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2004.
https://www.utahfoodbank.org/
Would you be willing to give up the cash you'd spend on your snack at the vending machine, morning coffee or the equivalent of a night out to help shoulder the burden of feeding those who need your help? What about a work or neighborhood food drive? What about sharing your time to volunteer?
That's it from me on the topic.
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