Food insecurity is defined as the situation when a person has difficulty on where to find his next meal. And it’s a prevailing issue for most American households even today. In fact, in 2013 alone, there are 49.1 million houses who are suffering from food insecurity and the numbers kept growing to this day.
Fortunately, non-profit organizations are doing what they can to make a positive change and provide food rations to food insecurity-infested homes and low-income families like Second Harvest.
Read more as we are going to share some interesting facts about Second Harvest Food Bank in today’s post.
Brief Historical Background
Second Harvest Food Bank is an initiative of Feeding America, a non-profit organization with a network of 200 food banks that provide food through soup kitchens, food pantries, and community-based shelters all across the country.
The movement was founded by John van Hengel in 1979 when he began to solicit unwanted foods from local gardens, grocery stores, and produce farms within the area. His efforts paved the way for the establishment of the nation’s first food bank known as St. Mary’s Food Bank. Eventually, the movement was able to create a non-profit organization which was known as America’s Second Harvest. And its name was changed to Feeding America on August 31, 2008.
Since then, the initiative founded by Van Hengel is ranked as the 2nd largest charity in the United States in terms of revenue.
Some Things You Need To Know About Food Banks By Feeding America
1. A Nation Leader In Fighting Hunger – Second Harvest continues to be a nation leader in fighting the country’s hunger problem by providing access to food as well as in education, advocacy, and disaster relief.
In fact in Louisiana alone, the organization provides foods for the hungry and support to community programs and partners across 23 parishes. Likewise, their staff and volunteers are devoted to distributing over 32 million food meals to 210,000 individuals a year.
2. A Way To Eliminate Poverty – Their food distribution programs, kitchen meal services, nutrition education, and public-based assistance enabled them to create a way to get the community out of poverty. In other words, they also guide the people on how to secure food on their table as they feed the hungry at the same time.
3. They Aim For Zero Waste Food – Every year, they secure millions of pounds in excess food that may otherwise have thrown into the trash bin. And their staff and volunteers ensure that these foods are evenly distributed to thousands and thousands of families who are struggling with hunger for most of the time.
4. They Also Accept Cash Donations – Second Harvest doesn’t just accept extra foodstuffs for kind-hearted individuals are always welcome to donate money for the less fortunate. In fact, the money that you donate can buy as much as 3 to 7 times more food than you can buy at the local grocery store because they have partnered with some of the biggest names in the food industry like General Mills, Chiquita Brands International, Kraft Foods, and more.
5. Feeding The Hungry Isn’t Just About Giving Food Or Money – For those who can’t spare food or money but still want help feed famished families, Second Harvest always accepts volunteers to help pack, sort, stack, and distribute food to hungry people.
Just go to your local Second Harvest headquarters to get more details on volunteering for their meal distribution initiatives.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it, some of the interesting facts about Second Harvest Food Bank. Please visit www.localfoodbank.org for more information on how to help hungry communities in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, and the Mother Lode Counties. Donate now to a local food bank by clicking this link here.
