Hunger Action Month is Here!

September. Ahhh! The air gets a little crisper (at least in theory. Will it ever stop being 90 degrees?) Fall is on its way. Night comes a little earlier. And the buzz around East Tennessee? Football! You start to see that Vols orange everywhere you turn (no matter if they’ve lost or not…). Did you know September is also Hunger Action Month, AND the official color of Hunger Action Month is ORANGE?!

Hunger Action Month is the Feeding America network’s nationwide awareness driver, designed to mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger. Our hope for this month is that you will be informed, educated and empowered to take action in the fight against hunger! The network is aiming for 40 million actions to take place—each action to represent one person in the United States that’s at risk of hunger.

Nearly 160,000 East Tennesseans are currently unsure of where their next meal will come from. Don’t you want to take action to help?!

Here are a few ways you can take action this month (and all year long):

Donating– This action will take the least amount of your time, and every little bit goes a long way with the food bank. Second Harvest is able to provide three meals in East TN with each dollar donated. This month, consider becoming a monthly donor. With just $1 a day (about $30 a month) you could provide more than 1,000 meals in one year. Make a donation today and choose “Monthly Gift” to make the greatest impact. https://community.secondharvestetn.org/donatenow
Volunteering– Tennessee is the “Volunteer State” after all. Volunteering helps Second Harvest to get more work done efficiently and in a cost-effective way. Volunteers do work that would otherwise have to be done by 14 full-time employees, saving the food bank thousands of dollars a year. Sort food from food drives in our warehouse, pack Food for Kids bags or work to rework pasta or cereal into smaller packaging in our clean room! For more information on volunteering, visit https://secondharvestetn.org/volunteer/.
Hosting a food + fund drive– Food + fund drives are the bread and butter of any food bank. Both virtual food drives and food & fund drives aid in providing food to hungry East Tennesseans. With a virtual food drive, you are able to pick which foods you would like to purchase for the food bank. A food + fund drive is a good way to physically see what contribution your school, church, office or other group is making to the food bank. For more information on food + fund drives, visit https://secondharvestetn.org/food-and-fund-drive/. To start a Virtual Food Drive, visit https://virtualfooddrive.secondharvestetn.org/.
Attending an event– Special events help to both raise awareness of Second Harvest’s mission and provide the community with fun and exciting ways to spend time with friends and family, while contributing towards the fight against hunger in East Tennessee. Don’t miss your chance to catch the last show of Music Feeds. Get more information here https://secondharvestetn.org/event/music-feeds-scott-miller-the-commonwealth/, and buy your tickets by visiting knoxvilletickets.com/musicfeeds.
Advocating– We can’t fight hunger without you! Advocacy efforts at Second Harvest Food Bank revolve around informing, educating, engaging and empowering the community in the fight with hunger problems. Educate the people around you about hunger in East Tennessee and how they can help. Talk to those you know and help us reach out to the community for support. For more info on how to be the best advocate, visit https://secondharvestetn.org/advocate/
Posting + sharing— Social media is a great way to spread the word and share things you’re passionate about with your friends and family. This month, post photos of you volunteering for the food bank (even if it was months ago), share news articles about how hunger affects childhood development or repost something we’ve shared on Facebook! Make sure to tag Second Harvest Food Bank (We’re on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) so we can see your post. A few hashtags you can use: #HungerActionMonth, #TakeAction and #GoBigOrangeForHunger.

Take action this month! Wear orange to raise awareness for Hunger Action Month (and to cheer on the Vols). Reach out with any questions at the “Contact” form up top. We would love to hear from you. Together we are fighting hunger and feeding hope in our community!