The Food Bank of Central Louisiana Joins Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month Campaign

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana Joins Feeding America’s Hunger Action Month Campaign to Ensure Food Isn’t an Impossible Choice for 59,690 People Facing Hunger in Central Louisiana

Hunger Action Month Campaign Aims to Inspire the Public to Join the Fight to End Hunger and Raise Awareness of Hunger in America

For Hunger Action Month® this September, the Food Bank of Central Louisiana will join Feeding America and other member food banks to inspire people to join the fight to end hunger and raise awareness of people experiencing food insecurity across the United States. Food banks around the country are working to make a real and lasting impact on hunger in their communities, and they are asking for the public’s support.

September marks the 15th year Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization with a nationwide network of 200 food banks, the Food Bank of Central Louisiana and 60,000 partner food pantries and meal programs, has organized the annual call to action. This year’s campaign presents the impossible choices that millions of people in America are often forced to make between food and other basic needs.

“Many people may not give a daily meal much thought. For people facing hunger, a daily meal is not as simple,” said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America.” Instead, it becomes a different type of choice - an impossible decision between food or other crucial needs, such as electricity, childcare, or medicine. Nobody should be forced to make a choice to go hungry. With the public’s support, we can come together to help increase food access for all people, so they no longer have to make such tough decisions.”

During the month of September, people across the Central Louisiana can get involved by learning, committing, and speaking up about ways to ending hunger.

· Organize a food drive at your church, school, or place of business. The food bank will even provide your organization a receipt quantifying the number of pounds donated.

· Sign up to be a monthly donor to the Food Bank of Central Louisiana. An anonymous donor has offered to match new recurring donor commitments for the month of September. You can double your first month’s donation!

· Volunteer! Our food bank – and all the neighborhood food pantries – relies on volunteer support to get food to people who need it. Spending a few hours each month volunteering can make an enormous difference for the families we serve.

Hunger Action Month is a time for everyone across the country to collectively act against hunger. You can choose to donate or advocate. You can choose to volunteer or raise awareness. You can choose to help end hunger. Learn more about how you can join the fight to end hunger by visiting the Food Bank of Central Louisiana’s Facebook or website at www.fbcenla.org

About the Food Bank of Central Louisiana

The Food Bank of Central Louisiana is a non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate hunger in central Louisiana. The Food Bank distributes food and grocery products to needy families through a network of approved charitable agencies in the following eleven parishes: Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, Vernon and Winn.

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks, 21 statewide food bank associations, and over 60,000 partner agencies, food pantries and meal programs, we helped provide 6.6 billion meals to tens of millions of people in need last year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; brings attention to the social and systemic barriers that contribute to food insecurity in our nation; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.