Hunger Awareness Month Kicks Off

September is National Hunger Awareness Month during which national and regional organizations, including Feeding America, Regional Food Bank for of Northeastern NY and the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, will step up efforts to raise awareness of the issue of hunger.

A group of concerned people working to feed the hungry right here in Rockland County have agreed to use this national initiative as a springboard to call attention to local needs and local organizations working to combat hunger. As a result -voila! The first annual Hunger Awareness & Action Week was created and is currently under construction.

A core group of representatives from county-wide organizations ~ including Catholic Community Services, Good Samaritan Hospital, People to People, United Way and County of Rockland Department of Social Services ~ have liaised with the well-established community collaboratives in Haverstraw, Spring Valley, Nyack and Western Ramapo. Each of these communities have committed to developing and implementing activities for Hunger Awareness & Action Week.

Hunger Awareness and Action Week will be kicked-off via a County of Rockland Proclamation to be announced by County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and other elected officials on September 6 at 10:30 a.m. at the County Office Building in New City. At this announcement, a Hunger Awareness & Action Week Calendar of Events with details about activities to be held around the county will be distributed to media, elected officials and other attendees.

Several Hunger Awareness & Action Week activities are in the planning stages and more will follow:

· Stuff A Bus —A Rockland County Bus will be situated in front of the County Office Building in New City
and them moved to the county complex in Pomona to be filled with food donated by county workers.
· Community Breakfasts — Mayors of targeted communities (Nyack, Spring Valley, Haverstraw) will host
breakfasts for clergy, community organizers, elected officials and more.
· Food Collections — Food collection efforts will take place at all town and participating village halls and at
corporate sites.

In addition, Hunger Awareness & Action Week fact sheets, posters and street banners are in development.

How To Help

· Retail stores, local businesses, corporate parks, etc. can hold food collections.
· Civic and community groups can hold food drives at local supermarkets or collect coins to donate to a
food pantry or feeding program that assist area residents.
· Rockland residents of all ages can volunteer at local food pantries or feeding programs.
· Restaurants can place coin collection canisters on tables to encourage diners to donate their change to help feed Rockland’s hungry.

For more information about how to support OR to register to benefit from Hunger Awareness & Action Week efforts, please contact: Ron Figueroa at Ron.Figueroa@dfa.state.ny.us; Sister Fran Gorsuch at Fran_Gorsuch@bshsi.org; Martha Robles at Martha.Robles@archny.org; Diane Serratore at diane@peopletopeopleinc.org; Dana Treacy at dtreacy@uwrc.org.

  feeding america, food bank of the hudson valley, help, hunger, hunger awareness month, people to people, regional food bank, rockland county, september