456,000

That is the number of people at risk for hunger every month in Orange County.  The OC…with it’s affluent beach communities and upscale shopping destinations is also home to a different type of population…people…children who don’t know where their next meal will come from.

If your children are like mine, food is something that is only thought about during meal and snack times.  My son doesn’t worry that he won’t have dinner when he gets home from school or breakfast when he wakes up in the morning.  It’s a basic need that he expects will be met and thus, it does not preoccupy his mind (nor should it). Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the nearly 17 million children in America who can’t focus on school because they are hungry.

I recently told you about ConAgra’s partnership with Feeding America to fight child hunger (they’re providing 5 million meals to Feeding America during the 2011-2012 school year in conjunction with the UPC collection program).  This fall, Schools Fight Hunger, an organization formed in 2010, is once again joining the fight on a local and nationwide level by bringing together America’s schools and families around the common goal of ending child hunger.  I can’t think of a better way to raise awareness both among families and the community about hunger in America.

So how can you get involved? Here are some easy ways you and I can make a difference:

Participate in a school gardening project

Volunteer at your local food bank

Participate in a food drive or fundraiser

If you’d like to get involved, be sure to request your free toolkit.

My son is in preschool, but we’ve already identified the school he’ll be attending next year for Kindergarten and I’m looking into whether or not they’ve signed up with Schools Fight Hunger.

Is your child’s school signed up with Schools Fight Hunger?  Find out more about the campaign on their website.

Disclosure: I have been retained as a blogger correspondent for Child Hunger Ends Here. All thoughts and opinions remain my own.