Kw-logo-smaller

The 411 on Food Banks

NFL quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Donovan McNabb team up with Campbell's Soup to feed the hungry.
Food Banks

While your family is sitting down to a scrumptious dinner of burgers, spaghetti and caesar salad tonight, millions of people will go without enough food to fill their bellies. Read on for some interesting facts about how food banks can make a world of difference.

Food Banks - Facts to Fuel You Up

  • Second Harvest is one of the largest food bank organizations in America, with over 200 branches throughout the country.
  • Every year in the United States, Second Harvest assists more than 25 million people. Of those 25 million, nine million are children and three million are senior citizens.
  • Food banks are always in need of donations, not just during the holidays. Grab a hold of all those cans on your basement shelves that no one is ever going to eat and drop 'em off at your local food bank branch.
  • If you don't want to truck a load of food down to the food bank, you can always donate money. Did you know that one of your donated dollars can buy three to seven times the amount of food that you would be able to purchase at the grocery store? This is because food banks often have partnerships with big corporations like Kraft Foods, General Mills and Chiquita Brands International, to allow them to get more bang for their buck.
  • For those of you who just can't spare any food or money but still want to lend a hand, food banks are always looking for volunteers to help sort, stack and hand out food.
  • Did you know that over 13 million tons of food are thrown away each year in the United States? Second Harvest managed to distribute nearly 2 billion pounds of food in 2005. Think of how many more people Second Harvest could have fed with all the food thrown in landfills!
  • Food Banks - The Fight to End Hunger

    Americans have been observing Hunger Awareness Day since 2002, when there was a huge increase of peeps who couldn't feed their families. It's a day for volunteers, churches and organizations like Second Harvest to raise awareness - and donations - to end hunger in the US. There are lots of ways you can help! You can donate dry foods and canned items to your local food bank, serve hot meals at soup kitchens or send a cash donation to a charity. This year, Hunger Awareness Day is being held on June 6, 2006, but if you'd like to help out with this important day next year, head over to www.hungerday.org for more info!

    Related Stories:

  • Second Harvest Feeds the Hungry
  • Volunteer - David Feeds the Hungry
  • Care Bags Foundation Profile
  • More Ways to Work It!
  • readers voted!

    Comments

    allen

    allen wrote:

    I always try to remember to donate to the food bank. There is a box in the grocery stor...
    commented: Wed May 08, 2013

    there are 1 more comments

    Please login or register to add comments

    share with your friends


    Twitter Facebook MySpace Digg


    like this article?
    get more just like it in your email

    F1149554268265

    Food Item Best Left at Home?

    • A bag of pasta or rice.
    • A can of beans.
    • An expired jug of milk.
    • A bag of apples.

    related stories

    Dear Dish-It in the forums

    Rockstarskittles1
    "BreakDancing-HipHop" wrote:Getting along with your siblings are hard sometimes. I have 5 siblings to deal with, especially my twin sister. Favoritism is hard like if your parents buy something expensive for your sister's birthday like a Wii or guitar or something. And you just got $50.00 or a Nintendo DS , that's showing more favoritism to your sister because your parents got her something more expensive that they couldn't afford. I think your parents are teaching you and your siblings to toughen up when you or your siblings get something more expensive or valuable. I deal with that all the time. So I just man up. Or as my dad says it "MAN UP CUPCAKE!!!!!!!!!!"
    reply about 1 hour
    SShannelle
    I totally agree. :"( my dad hates me. my mom is a single parent and she goes to school has a job AND STILL CAN TAKE CARE OF HER KIDS. MY MOM IS a SURVIVOR! my mom loves me with all her heart,before my dad left he said i will neve love you, spit in my face and moms face and left and broke some of our stuff. i know how you feel im 11 too....... but i think its none of our buissness to be up in grown up situations.....
    reply about 8 hours
    jordand08
    "George Weasley " wrote:i just came to say there are a lot of different reasons why someone might cut, and different alternatives work for different people. some people need to feel the pain in order to feel more connected to their body--it's a weird feeling you can get with depression and other mental illnesses.  a solution for that could be squeezing an ice cube in your hand, as hard as you can, until it melts. it really hurts, but doesn't cause any lasting damage. some people do it because they're anxious or afraid, and the familiarity of a routine helps them feel better, so they might need to do their whole cutting routine minus the cutting. so they get out their supplies, set everything up, and then bandage themselves and put it all away. some people do it because of anger or frustration, and to help with that, they can tear paper or scribble on photos. the marker alternative can help some people, but it's not a fix-all alternative. This is true, and it may not help everyone, but at least they'll give it a shot. It's for people not to harm themselves, and yes, there are other ways not to cut, or anything like that, but here's one solution out of many.
    reply about 9 hours
    jordand08
    reply about 9 hours
    George Weasley
    i just came to say there are a lot of different reasons why someone might cut, and different alternatives work for different people. some people need to feel the pain in order to feel more connected to their body--it's a weird feeling you can get with depression and other mental illnesses.  a solution for that could be squeezing an ice cube in your hand, as hard as you can, until it melts. it really hurts, but doesn't cause any lasting damage. some people do it because they're anxious or afraid, and the familiarity of a routine helps them feel better, so they might need to do their whole cutting routine minus the cutting. so they get out their supplies, set everything up, and then bandage themselves and put it all away. some people do it because of anger or frustration, and to help with that, they can tear paper or scribble on photos. the marker alternative can help some people, but it's not a fix-all alternative.
    reply about 9 hours

    play online games

    Family-barn100

    Welcome to Family Barn! A game about true country living. Featuring the cutest o...

    Tri_basicintegration_100

    Triviador is a game like no other, merging strategy with trivia. The rich multi...

    1005_cc_kidz_100x100_vlh

    Candy's got her candies into a terrible mess, can you help her to sort them out?

    Goodgame_empire-startscreen-100

    Goodgame Empire is a great strategy title by Goodgame Studios. Build your own ca...

    Owtokidoki100x100

    Explore the world or hang out with friends in your own condo. Get a unique look,...