GBFB Encourages Hunger Action Month Participation

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Kristin Foley
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The Greater Boston Food Bank Encourages Eastern Massachusetts Residents to Mobilize During Hunger Action Month

Hunger Action Month activities and events scheduled throughout September

BOSTON – AUGUST 28, 2017 – The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) today announced it will shine an intense light throughout the month of September on the reality of food insecurity in Eastern Massachusetts in observance of Hunger Action Month. The largest hunger-relief organization in New England aims to raise awareness and funds by mobilizing people to take action to end hunger here during the month-long campaign.

Both Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin J. Walsh have issued proclamations declaring Hunger Action Month in the state of Massachusetts and Hunger Action Day in the City of Boston, respectively. The public is encouraged to get involved to support GBFB’s mission to end hunger here through different ways including:

EMPTY PLATE SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN FOR HUNGER ACTION MONTH

On Sept. 1, in partnership with Feeding America®, GBFB will launch a month-long social media campaign asking participants to describe on a downloadable empty plate what they can’t do on an empty stomach (“On an empty stomach, I can’t__________”), and then post photos with the following hashtags and tags: #HungerActionMonth, #EndHungerHere, @gr8BosFoodBank, @Feeding America.

HUNGER ACTION DAY –  SEPT. 14

• TURN BOSTON ORANGE FOR HUNGER ACTION DAY
  • On Hunger Action Day, Sept. 14, local Boston landmarks including the Prudential Center, Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, Boston City Hall, Government Center MBTA station, Atlantic Wharf, Rose Kennedy Greenway and more will be lit orange—the symbolic color of hunger. Orange-clad volunteers will staff a Hunger Action Day table at Boston Public Market during the lunch rush.

• FEDERAL CALL-IN DAY AGAINST HUNGER
  • The Greater Boston Food Bank, in partnership with the Worcester County Food Bank, the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, will activate supporters to call their congressional representatives on Hunger Action Day and urge them to strengthen federal anti-hunger programs, especially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is threatened by proposed cuts totaling $160 billion. To become an advocate, go to gbfb.org/advocate.

“This marks the tenth year of Hunger Action Month, which is a nationwide effort asking people to take on hunger in their communities in whatever way they can,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank. “More than 500,000 people in Eastern Massachusetts are food insecure and don’t know where their next meal is coming from. During September, we are asking people to think about what it feels like to have an empty stomach.”

Food insecurity exists in every county in Eastern Massachusetts, according to “Map the Meal Gap 2017,” the latest report by Feeding America®, a nationwide network of 200 U.S. food banks. Food insecurity rates range from 8.1 percent in Essex County to 14.9 in Suffolk County. Overall, the food insecurity rate in Eastern Massachusetts is one in 10, and one in eight children live in food-insecure households. Statewide, the food insecurity rate is also one in 10. In the U.S., one in eight people is food insecure.

Hunger Action Month is a national awareness campaign by Feeding America and its network of 200 food banks across the country. For more information about Hunger Action Month, participating events, how to advocate for hunger policies and the social media campaign, please visit gbfb.org/hungeractionmonth.

About The Greater Boston Food Bank
The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) is the largest hunger-relief organization in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. GBFB provides the equivalent of more than 48 million healthy meals annually, distributed through its network of 530 member agencies across Eastern Massachusetts. GBFB operates four direct service programs at nearly 70 sites throughout the area. A member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, GBFB serves more than 140,000 people every month in its goal to create a hunger-free Eastern Massachusetts. For more information, visit us at GBFB.org, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter (@gr8bosfoodbank) and Instagram, or call us at 617.427.5200.