September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide initiative to urge the public to take action against hunger. 40 million Americans face hunger and 900,000 of them live right in New Jersey. Close to 260,000 are children.
To combat this, WBGO is working in conjunction with The United Way of Greater Newark and The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, the state’s largest anti-hunger and anti-poverty organization, to provide meals to hungry children and their families over the weekend. On Wednesday, September 25, every $60 pledge to WBGO will provide food for a Family Pack filled with healthy food to supplement families at risk of going hungry over the weekend. That means $120 will provide food for Packs for two families and $240 will provide foor for Packs for four families. PLEDGE NOW!
The Family Pack Program provides bags full of supplemental, nutritious food for food insecure children and their families over the weekend.
When a child is food insecure, he or she is at risk of going hungry. Children who participate in the Family Pack Program rely on free or reduced-price school meals during the week, and weekend food resources may be limited. To combat this problem, Family Packs are assembled with help from volunteers and are picked up weekly by participating schools where they are distributed every Friday.
Family Packs include shelf-stable items, such as:
- Tuna
- Chicken
- Vegetables
- Rice
- Pasta
Hot/Cold Cereal
The program currently serves 1,500 households in 12 New Jersey districts: East Orange, Elizabeth, Irvington, Livingston, Newark, New Brunswick, Orange, Paterson, Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Roselle and Summit.The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a member of Feeding America, distributes food, provides nutrition education and job training, develops programs to help hungry people across the state, and engages all sectors of society in its mission. Last year, the FoodBank distributed more than 50 million pounds of food – an all-time high.
The FoodBank addresses hunger as a health issue through a range of programs that provide nutritious food to people in need. These include Kids Cafes that serve nourishing after-school meals and Farmers Markets that distribute free, fresh fruits and vegetables. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a member of Feeding America, distributes food, provides nutrition education and job training, develops programs to help hungry people across the state, and engages all sectors of society in its mission. Last year, the FoodBank distributed more than 50 million pounds of food – an all-time high. the FoodBank addresses hunger as a health issue through a range of programs that provide nutritious food to people in need. These include Kids Cafes that serve nourishing after-school meals and Farmers Markets that distribute free, fresh fruits and vegetables.