Celebs Commit to The Cause! You can, too.

Actor David Arquette is a member of the Feeding America Entertainment Council. Members of this star-studded organization actively mobilize the public in support of Feeding America via media relations opportunities, cause marketing programs, and public policy initiatives. Each member also demonstrates sincere concern for domestic hunger by participating in volunteer opportunities at our member food banks.

Click the link below to see how David plans to fight hunger this month. Then, download the 30 Ways in 30 Days calendar to get in on the action yourself!

Fall is fast approaching and families are busier than ever with back-to-school routines, afterschool activities and packed weekends. Before you add another task to your to-dos in September, take a look at your agenda and see how and when you can help Feeding America fight child hunger this fall with this handy “30 Ways in 30 Days” calendar.

From changing sharing your support for Hunger Action Month on Facebook and setting an empty spot at your dinner table to eating out for a cause and clipping coupons, the “30 Ways in 30 Days” calendar offers one thing you can do each day in the month of September to fight child hunger. Get on board and help feed more children this fall!

MOLLY’S STORY: How One Blogger Saw Neighbors in Need and Got Involved

Learn more about Molly from The Snyder 5 as she guests blogs about her experience as a  Child Hunger Ends Here blogger correspondent.

When I first was asked to join in the ConAgra Foods Child Hunger Ends Here campaign I didn’t pause. I didn’t stop to think. I just knew. Yes. I had to do it. I wanted to do it.

I lived in Chicago for about ten years. It’s impossible, living there, not to see faces of hunger daily. But you didn’t often see the children. You knew they were there, but it wasn’t their faces you were seeing every day.

However, I think, in my mind, I imagined them. I could picture, I thought, their lives. Their worlds.

As I began to work on this program I realized that while the images I had seen and pictured were very real. They were not the only ones.

Hunger doesn’t have a universal look. Hunger doesn’t have a universal story.

That struck me the most when I was looking at the statistics for my children’s school district’s free and reduced lunch program. Nearly seventy percent of the children in our district are eligible for that program. Seventy percent.

I really, finally, got it. Hunger doesn’t have a look. It doesn’t have a pattern or a path. But it is a huge staggering problem. One that is affecting families who are, literally, in my neighborhood.

To try to do something, I organized a giant rummage sale among Minnesota bloggers. Nearly 30 families volunteered their time and donated their things.  And after one day of standing together to do something about it, we raised nearly $1,000 to donate to Feeding America.

Reflecting on it, one of my friends mentioned that the reality was that each of those 30 families could have just donated $35 and we would have accomplished the same thing financially. But what we did, I think, is far more than that. We came together. We used our voices – online and off – to shed some light on this issues that is affecting our community and all communities. We fought child hunger.

Los Angeles blogger Andrea Fellman from Savvy Sassy Moms rallied friends in a sweet way to raise money for Child Hunger Ends Here. On Saturday, May 2, Andrea hosted an ice cream social complete with an ice cream truck (and all the fixings), a bounce house and crafts for kids. She also enlisted her daughters to help bake more than 150 chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale held during the festivities. In addition to her family, Andrea was able to recruit several local businesses to offset event costs and maximize the funds raised. The end results were lots of smiles and $660 or 4,620 meals for the cause.

Read Andrea’s post about her rally and watch an awesome photo recap.

Do you have a rockin’ rally story to share? Email a brief summary, your results and up to three photos to rallies@fleishman.com for a chance to have your event featured on our blog!

Inside Look: How Food Banks Help Our Communities

The St. Louis Area Foodbank serves hungry men, women and children in 14 counties in eastern Missouri and 12 counties in southwestern Illinois. With the help of donors and volunteers, the food bank distributed more than 20 million pounds of food in 2009. In this video, you’ll meet the organization’s communications manager, Ryan Farmer, and see how this Feeding America facility supports those in need in the Show-Me state. Visit Feeding America to find how you can get involved in your area.

Alex is a precocious little boy who attends an after school program offering snacks provided by the Northern Illinois Food Bank.  He’s the first to admit he loves everything that has to do with Pokemon, and invests as much time playing the game as he does reading books about the character’s fantastical pursuits. 

Pokemon never supersedes his English and Spanish homework, which are both taught by his favorite teacher.  When Alex isn’t running circles around the agency’s teen volunteers, he can be found practicing Spanish phrases with Mariela, the grandmotherly matriarch of this site.

The time he gets to spend with his friends — and eating his favorite food, bagels with cream cheese — is why Alex looks forward to participating in the after school program.

Learn more about the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

hungrytohelp:

Hunger-Free Summer Video

Katharine McPhee talks about her commitment to fighting child hunger and why ConAgra Foods Foundation partnered with Feeding America to bring at least one million more meals to kids this summer alone.

Shonda, an Atlanta pre-school teacher, remembers a few winters back when she and her two young children avoided using the living room during winters. It was the coldest room in their home, perpetually devoid of warmth as they tried to cut back on heating bills. During that challenging time, Shonda relied heavily on the goodness of her friends, begrudgingly borrowing money when she couldn’t afford to buy food for her children. It was the kind of predicament she never thought her family would have to face.

“You know, I sacrificed, I went to college….Why am I going, financially, through this?” she would often ask herself. While Shonda could never boast about living a luxurious life, the money she made as a teacher had been enough to send her daughter, Farri, to an after-school program that the little girl’s school ran. Things drastically changed for the family a few years ago when the new management at her pre-school made a few budgetary cuts. Shonda was left out of a job and in need of affordable daycare as she picked up temping jobs and submitted resumes.

A friend told Shonda about a reputable mixed-income after-school program that served snacks and dinner to kids for a small fee each month. The after-school program kept their costs low due the support and food they receive from the Atlanta Community Food Bank. While Shonda juggled utilities and other bills, her mind was eased knowing that Farri and Elijah would have a nutritious meal each night after their tutoring sessions at the after-school program – and that these features wouldn’t cost her an arm and a leg.

Now employed in a new pre-school and back in grad school for a counseling degree, Shonda is happy her kids have a safe place to play, learn and find a nutritious meal.

Find out more about the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Thanks to Feeding America for letting us share this story. Learn more about the work Feeding America is doing to fight hunger.

While financial donations can make a world of difference to local food banks, volunteers can be just as valuable. An entire day or just an afternoon spent at a food bank means you’re directly helping that facility feed more children. Lend a hand in your local community by:

• Tutoring kids at your local Kids Cafe.
• Repackaging donated food for use at food pantries.
• Transporting food to charitable agencies.

Get involved, and make it even more fun by asking your family and friends to join the fight against child hunger.  For information on opportunities in your area, please contact your local food bank.

There is also still time to host your own Child Hunger Ends Here rally. Turn a bake sale, lemonade stand even a movie night to a rally and donate all or a portion of the proceeds to Feeding America. Learn how you can get involved today

Earlier this month, Feeding America revealed new state-level data on child food insecurity for kids under the age of 5. The study revealed that Arkansas, Texas and Arizona have the highest rates of child food insecurity in the country at nearly 25 percent. Child Food Insecurity in the United States: 2006-2008 was funded by the ConAgra Foods Foundation, Feeding America’s exclusive Leadership Partner in the Fight to End Child Hunger. The study also names Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, Florida and Oregon, as well as the District of Columbia, at the top of the list.

In addition, the study includes regional data on food insecurity. In the South, more than one in five children or nearly 22 percent of young children are food insecure – the highest rate in the nation. The Western region of the country has the second highest rate of young child food insecurity at nearly one in five, or 19.6 percent. The Midwest has a rate of more than one in six, or 18.6 percent; and the Northeast has a rate of nearly one in seven, or 13.7 percent.

These estimates are expected to rise over the coming years as the full impact of the economic downturn is taken into account. Now, more than ever, Feeding America needs your help to provide a better future for our neighbors down the street and across the nation. Find out how you can get involved and help end child hunger here.

Families with young mouths to feed have limited options when it comes to obtaining food.

Not all people who go hungry are homeless or even jobless. Many parents and caregivers who need assistance do not meet the poverty standards established by their state and cannot receive government aid.

Soup kitchens are often difficult to get to for parents who work multiple jobs or have limited transportation. The fact is that these parents lack the resources to provide the proper nutrition and adequate calories for their kids.

Check out this exercise courtesy of the San Francisco Food Bank to see how you would feed your family if you were in someone else’s shoes.

Take a moment to read a blog post from Child Hunger Ends Here blogger correspondent Laurie from My Dallas Mommy.

Read More

hungrytohelp:

Unbroken and Resilient
A guest post from entertainer Katharine McPhee

As I wrote songs for my album “Unbroken,” what came out were tales of resilience… people who are bowed – but not broken – by the experiences and trials life throws at them.  Now, a new project is allowing me to meet many of these real unbroken souls in person.  I’m amazed by their spirit and touched by their stories.

I have been a part of the Feeding America Entertainment Council for more than a year now.  When I learned that childhood hunger was such a critical problem right here in the United States, I knew I wanted to help.  Then, when I found out that 17 million children struggle with hunger during the summer when school is out, I knew I had to help now.

I am honored to be working with the ConAgra Foods Foundation and Feeding America to launch the Hunger-Free Summer initiative.  One of the goals of Hunger-Free Summer is to help ensure that kids at risk of hunger have access to nutritious meals year round. So, while school may be out for summer, lunch is always in session.

This summer I am traveling across the country to Feeding America food banks from Orlando to Los Angeles. I’m volunteering my time and doing my best to bring more attention to fact that there are children in need. Last week, I visited New Image Youth Center in Orlando, Fla.  New Image is a summer feeding location supported by the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, which received a Hunger-Free Summer grant to support summer food locations in Orlando.  I helped serve lunch and even wrote a song with the kids.  I enjoyed spending time with the kids and was amazed to realize how much good can come from a kind word and a nutritious meal. This is something every child deserves.

Yesterday, I visited Irvine, Calif. (just outside my hometown of Los Angeles!) and tomorrow I’ll visit Little Rock, Ark.  I can’t wait to share more photos and stories as my journey continues. More importantly, I can’t wait to hear how you’re getting involved in the fight against child hunger.

hungrytohelp:

A behind-the-scenes look as Katharine McPhee kicks off the Hunger-Free Summer. She’s talking with media across the nation today to raise awareness about the 17 million children who are struggling with hunger during the summer.