Today kicks off Hunger Action Month in the United States. The Feeding America network’s month-long campaign is designed to make citizens aware of the growing food insecurity problem in the US. They are hoping to inform the nation on how people can get involved in combatting the issue.

This is the ninth year of the national and South Dakota networks’ participation in aiding the hungry. According to the USDA, 48 million Americans, which includes 15 million children, are food insecure. This is defined as an individual’s lack of access to food, due to a lack of money and other resources. 74% of all Feeding America client households host annual incomes at or beneath the poverty line.

Diana Aviv, CEO of Feeding America, has spent many days on the road this past year. She’s visited food pantries & food banks, meal programs and has met face-to-face with people who are facing hunger. She shares:

“I’ve seen firsthand the anguish that food insecurity and hunger can cause. It is heartbreaking to meet a mother or father who fears that they will not be able to feed their children. They know that their children cannot reach their full potential if they don’t have enough to eat.”

So what can you do? How can you get involved?

The program, whose official color is orange, is presenting an advertising method of having people take hunger to a personal level, and think about how their life would be affected on an empty stomach.

With Hunger Action Day being September 8, potential supporters in South Dakota and the US are welcomed to join in by writing on an empty plate what they “can’t do on an empty stomach” and “what they could do to help end hunger.” KIKN’s own Trav & Kelly joined in on the campaign, taking a photo with their plates and filling in what element in their lives would be hindered due to lack of food and nutrition.

If you join in, be sure to post your picture(s) to social media. Please tag Feeding South Dakota on Facebook or @feedingsd on Twitter and Instagram. Include the hashtags #HungerActionMonth and #FeedingSD.

Next week, look out for further information on the state’s Feeding South Dakota program. I will be sharing statewide hunger statistics and how the program has made an impact in our communities. Meanwhile, check out the '30 Ways in 30 Days' calendar below to start helping now!

Used with permission by 'Feeding South Dakota'
Used with permission by 'Feeding South Dakota'
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