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Hunger Awareness Day helps hungry 

Hunger-Awareness-DayOne day, one dollar, one big challenge to feed the hungry

As communities endure continuing economic challenges, feeding hungry people with nutritious food is a daunting task. This year, more than ever, the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County is counting on Hunger Awareness Day to help as many as 44,000 residents overcome the increased challenge to feed their families.

Hunger Awareness Day is set for Friday, June 6th, and the Food Bank is aiming for a campaign goal of $125,000. This will help to meet the ever growing demand for food assistance in our county. Carl Hansen, Chief Executive Officer, said, “We recently heard in the news that San Luis Obispo County was voted as the most desirable place to work in the country. However, Fifteen percent of our county’s population is unemployed or has a job that does not offer benefits or wages to provide adequately for their family. Hunger Awareness Day is an opportunity for those of us who enjoy our jobs to make the lives of those struggling much better. We encourage you to help in this effort with a donation, small or large. ”

For those who are struggling to provide enough food for their families, food insecurity is a reality and has many negative consequences, those of which affect children most severely. Information about the impact of hunger released by Feeding America shows that insufficient nutrition puts children at risk for illness and weakens their immune system. In San Luis Obispo County, children make up 40% of those served by the Food Bank. This information helps bring light to why we chose to adopt a formal nutrition policy in 2013, focusing our efforts into providing food that contributes to the health of families in need. One aspect of this is that last year nearly half of the 6 million pounds of food we distributed was fresh produce. Additionally 200,000 pounds of that produce was gleaned from local farms, farmer’s markets, and back yard gardens.

With our resources for free and low-cost food, we can stretch $1 into $10 worth of food. Donors can mail checks to P.O. Box 2070, Paso Robles, CA 93447, donate online at www.slofoodbank.org, visit any Rabobank branches in the county during the month of May through June 6th, or drop by the Hunger Awareness Day donation site in your community on June 6th.

About the Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County: The Food Bank is the only countywide source of nutritious and low-cost food for low-income families, seniors, children, veterans and the disabled. Through direct programs like the Lovin’ Lunchbox Program for school children and the, and in partnership with over 225 San Luis Obispo County non-profits, the Food Bank Coalition will provide more than 6 million pounds of food, helping over 44,000 county residents in 2013.

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About the author: Publisher Scott Brennan

Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog.