When I think about the city we live in, the words family-friendly and affluence come to mind.  Never would I have guessed that  one in five OC residents are at risk of hunger…or that nearly 100,00 seniors in the county worry about where their next meal will come from…or that 44% (nearly half) of public school children rely on the Free & Reduced Lunch program as a steady source of nutrition.

Hunger…it’s a nationwide problem with local significance.  Sometimes I think about the scale of a problem like hunger, and think that nothing I could do would be good enough.  When it’s brought down to a local level, the solution becomes attainable…achievable…meaningful.

I recently had an opportunity to visit our local food bank.  Every month, Second Harvest Food Bank works with partner agencies to distribute 1.4 million pounds of food throughout Orange County with the goal of eliminating hunger.  The Food Bank’s primary source of food is donated and surplus food from local grocery stores and supermarket chains, food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants, trade shows, harvesting efforts, food drives, the government and private individuals.  For example, Second Harvest values and relies on ConAgra’s funding and support of their Summer Feeding Program.  The program, which fed 2900 children last year, will aim to increase that number to 3,000…daily at 35 sites across Orange County. Second Harvest facilitates the Summer Feeding Program, collaborates with a Registered Dietitian and purchases the food weekly so it’s fresh and healthy.  Programs such as this one are vital, particularly during the summer when children are vulnerable because they don’t have access to the free lunch program.

The Food Bank partners with over 470 member charities including church pantries, shelters, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, homes for abused women and children, and emergency organizations to provide food for the more than 240,000 hungry individuals in Orange County each month.

Who are the hungry?

You may be surprised. Some of the population served by the Food Bank include the working poor, children, seniors on fixed incomes, single parents, the disabled, the homeless, and individuals experiencing medical emergencies or recent job layoffs.

How can you and I make a difference?

Apart from learning how our local food bank operates, I really wanted to find out what members of the community like myself can do to help fight hunger on a local level.  Three vital and effective ways to get involved include donating your time, food, and funds.  Interestingly enough, I asked the grant coordinator what the most valuable contribution I could make to help fight child hunger. Her answer?  Funds. While the Food Bank welcomes food, they can do so much more with financial resources.  A one dollar donation provides 3 meals.  I don’t know that I could even purchase one meal with one dollar.  Donations are tax deductible and can be made online. If you’d like to donate food, consider sponsoring a food drive.  And if you are interested in volunteering, you can expect to pick produce, sort food, help out at events and/or share your unique skills with the Food Bank.

You and I don’t likely have to travel far to see the faces of hunger.  For more information on how you can help on a local or national level, visit Feeding America and Child Hunger Ends Here.

This is part of a compensated campaign through ConAgra Foods and Feeding America.