National Hunger Awareness Month

June 23 | Peter F. Crescenti

We all agree that the #1 job of food banks and food pantries is to feed the food-insecure among us. And few would argue with you if you said that the second most important task for food banks, pantries, soup kitchens and others is to raise awareness about food insecurity and those who suffer from it. 

Yes, the food banks and pantries that provide emergency food to our neighbors in need must engage the public and the media (to help carry the message to their audience) to spread the word because they can’t do it alone. And that’s where those of us who never struggle to put nutritious meals on the table every day come in. 

June is National Hunger Awareness Month and an important element for food banks and the agencies they equip with food should be to create awareness not only of those who struggle with food insecurity, but about the root causes as well. And there are many. 

Unemployment and underemployment. Inflation and high food prices. Health issues and age. Fixed incomes that barely cover expenses such as rent and medicine. Homelessness. And on and on.  

So, what can you do to educate yourself, your children, friends, relatives and neighbors about food insecurity and its causes? It starts with passion: a determined effort to learn what’s happening in your own community. So many Long Islanders live comfortable lives despite the high cost of living here, so the needy are often invisible. After all, food pantries don’t operate in affluent neighborhoods. Neither do those who live in those neighborhoods visit less-fortunate communities. 

The best time to educate yourself about food insecurity is today. Long Island’s media are aggressively reporting on this problem, especially with federal funding cutbacks for SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) and several other feeding programs. Paying attention means educating oneself. 

Beyond that, what can one person do to help put three meals a day on the tables of our neighbors in need? I’m glad you asked. 

• As mentioned above, educate yourself about the problem and then carry it to family, friends and neighbors. A really great way to create awareness is to talk to those who educate your children. We regularly get requests from students for interviews with our staff or to help with organizing a school food drive, from grade school, high school and college students doing term papers or managing projects about food insecurity.  

• National Hunger Awareness Month goes beyond just education; it’s also about plain old “doing.” Donate food to your local pantry. Round up your neighbors or members of your bowling team or church to organize a food drive. You’d be amazed at how many thousands of pounds of food can be raised just by giving others a chance to give back. 

• Hand in hand with food drives are fundraisers. Maybe it’s a car wash event at your neighborhood high school. Or an organized walk through your town. How about a church social? You are sure to get the support of your pastor, Imam or priest if you ask for help to assist those who need help. 

• Donate. So many of us have pockets or checkbooks full of money not designated for anything in particular. Why not use it to help feed the more than 71,000 food-insecure children in Nassau and Suffolk counties? Of course, donations come in all shapes and sizes. They run from a can of coins raised by children at a lemonade stand to donating your annual RMD withdrawal. A determined person always finds ways to help those who have not. 

• Volunteer. At Long Island Cares, we are blessed to have scores of volunteers contributing thousands of hours of their time. We see everyone from retirees to college students digging deep to put food into the right hands. There are also organized groups doing the work, thanks to companies, law firms, banks, supermarkets, colleges, department stores and more. We even have dedicated special-needs Long Islanders giving all they have in our warehouse. Maybe that’s for you, too. 

These are just a few ways you can make a HUGE difference. As I’ve already stressed, education means awareness and awareness leads to action. Now you’re aware and you have all of National Hunger Awareness Month to prove you’ve listened.