Summertime… the Hungriest Time of the Year.
While most children count the days until summer vacation, some look upon it with anxiety. For children who receive free or reduced-price school meals, when the school year ends… so does that food and parents must find resources to fill that nutritional gap.
At the same time the need to feed children grows, donations drop to hunger relief organizations across the nation.
“Summer Vacation from Hunger," sponsored by Charter One, is a collaborative effort between the two major hunger relief organizations in metro Detroit: Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners Community Food Bank. The goals of the program are to:
- Raise awareness about the issues of summer hunger among children and available resources;
- Engage the public with action steps they can take in the fight against child hunger;
- Provide targeted hunger-relief focus to children residing in the Osborn community of northeast Detroit. Partnering in this effort are community leaders from Detroit Community Initiative, Family Independence Agency, The Skillman Foundation, and St. John Hospital. Together with Charter One, Forgotten Harvest, Gleaners Community Food Bank and representatives from the Osborn neighborhood, this group will work together to bring coordinated emergency food service to this underserved area.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Contribute your time.
- Volunteer at Forgotten Harvest.
- Conduct a food drive in your neighborhood or place of worship or anyplace where people gather.
- Encourage your kids to help other kids by organizing food drives or donating the proceeds from a lemonade stand or other activity.
- Ride along on a Forgotten Harvest truck to see our mission first-hand.
Contribute financial support.
- Every dollar you donate will provide 6 nutritious meals.
- Throw a summer party and ask guests to bring non-perishable food and/or make donations to Forgotten Harvest.
- Mobilize your company around the issue of child hunger by asking all employees to engage in an “Out to End Hunger” day and donate their lunch money for one day to Forgotten Harvest.
Get familiar with hunger issues.
- America’s Second Harvest, www.secondharvest.org
- Food Bank Council of Michigan, www.fbcmich.org
- Food Resource and Action Center, www.frac.org
IF YOU NEED HELP
If you need food assistance, contact the following informational resources:
- Call Center for Civil Justice Helpline at 1-800-481-4989.
- Dial 2-1-1 for United Way’s comprehensive information and referral services.
- Local pantry, soup kitchen or shelter. Visit www.forgottenharvest.org or www.pantrynet.org for a list of partner agencies.
