Hunger: Southwest Florida's Silent Epidemic

Feeding America's 2010 Hunger Study reported that 1 out of 4 children in the U.S. suffer from food insecurity, a term which describes many Americans' struggle to find their next meal. With Southwest Florida's declining wages and rising unemployment, thousands of people face hunger every hour, every meal, every day. The Harry Chapin Food Bank, a local provider of food and resources to pantries such as the Salvation Army, serves over 30,000 Southwest Floridians every month. The face of hunger in our community is not just one picture. Hunger does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, ethnicity, or education. Over 33% of clients own their own home, and several are college graduates. We are struggling together, and together, we can find the solution. With over a 150% increase in just 3 years, hunger in Southwest Florida has become an urgent, and very real issue for our community. The solution to hunger starts now, and it starts with you.

FGCU's Feeding the Soul student involvement group knows we all are a part of the solution, and they are down for the challenge. They are currently working with the local United Way House to collect donations toward their Food 4 U program, but this is not enough. Our community needs you to get involved in the fight against hunger. Here's how you can help right now. The Harry Chapin Food Bank is the haven for hunger services in our 5 county area. They are in need of food donations and volunteers on a daily basis to facilitate their mobile pantry initiatives and backpack programs to get food to those who need it the most. Last year, volunteers offered over a half million dollars in unpaid work, saving that money for food purchases and services to the hungry. You can make a difference for our entire community, one person at a time. For someone with food insecurity, hunger does not wait, and neither can we. Hunger stops now.