Wiping out Hunger with HungerMitao

September is Hunger Action Month, a time for all of us to stand up and fight back against food insecurity in the boroughs of New York City and the United States at large. In NYC alone, food insecurity has increased by 44 percent due to the ongoing pandemic – that's 1.6 million New Yorkers struggling every day to feed themselves and their families. Though the numbers are daunting, the truth is that we can fight hunger together. To see how you can join us in nourishing our neighbors this Hunger Action Month, check out the actions below. Donate An easy way to get involved in the fight against food insecurity is to give generously to hunger relief organizations that inspire you. At Food Bank, $1 can provide up to 5 meals for our neighbors in need. Click here to help power the programs that get food into our most vulnerable communities. Fundraise Want to kick your giving up a notch? Then consider launching an online fundraiser to encourage your family and friends to join you in supporting our mission. It’s as simple as clicking this link and spreading the word on social media. And don’t worry, the link above will provide you with all the guidance you’ll need to get started. Raise Awareness Speaking of social media, a fantastic way to engage with Hunger Action Month is to raise awareness about food insecurity and poverty online. You can either share the content we post or let our cache of social media assets inspire you. No matter what you share, make sure to use the #FeedAll and tag us @FoodBank4NYC! Advocate Food Bank’s advocacy work seeks to organize and engage community action in the fight against hunger. Join us now in urging Congress to support anti-poverty priorities in the American Families Plan, including permanent expansion of the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, expanded Summer-EBT, and additional investments into The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Click here to raise your voice. Learn While all of these actions are incredibly valuable, perhaps the most important thing you can do is learn. Learn about food insecurity and the systems that cause it. Learn about the work being done to fight it. Empower yourself with knowledge and you’ll be amazed by the things you can do. To start, read our recent interview with Food Bank President & CEO Leslie Gordon in which she chats about the significance of Hunger Action Month to the work we do.

September is Hunger Action Month, a time for all of us to stand up and fight back against food insecurity in the United States. First established by Feeding America in 2008, this month is focused not only on raising awareness about the persistent and growing hunger crisis in our country, but on mobilizing that awareness into action. To learn more about the significance of Hunger Action Month to the work we do here at Food Bank, I spoke with Food Bank For New York City President & CEO Leslie Gordon. She shared invaluable insights into the importance of the month and offered advice for how to stay engaged in the fight against hunger all year long. Take a peek at our conversation below! Why is Hunger Action Month such a great time to get involved with the work we do here at Food Bank? Hunger Action Month is all about raising awareness about food insecurity in the United States, so it’s a great time to engage with organizations like ours that make it our mission to fight hunger all year long. At Food Bank, we provide a ton of different ways to get involved throughout the month, from volunteer opportunities on the ground to options for giving directly to the programs that nourish our neighbors all across the city. Click here to check out some of these easy actions! It’s often said that food alone can’t end hunger. How does Food Bank address the different issues that can impact someone’s ability to access healthy food? At Food Bank, we take the long approach to fighting hunger. That’s why we not only provide reliable access to food today through our member network of over 800 soup kitchens and food pantries across the five boroughs, but also equip our clients with the tools they need to achieve stability into tomorrow and beyond. By pairing food assistance with things like free tax filing prep and financial empowerment workshops, we’re able to address both the surface issue of hunger and its root. What does Food Bank’s Hunger Action Month theme “One Mission. Five Boroughs. Feed All” mean to you? How do we make sure we’re serving as many New Yorkers as we can? For me, this slogan means that we won’t rest until food insecurity is wiped out from every corner of our city. That’s why we partner with and power over 800 community-based organizations across the five boroughs that are able to meet the unique hunger needs of their neighbors. Our Mobile Pantry Program also allows us to take food and other resources directly into the communities that need us most. What’s the impact that a gift or donation can make on our work? Our work wouldn’t be possible without our amazing community of supporters. Their generosity is what enables us to reach the 1.6 million New Yorkers currently facing food insecurity. Each gift allows us to get more food to more people and innovate new ways to nourish, dignify, and empower our neighbors. If it takes a village to fight hunger, our supporters are that village, inspiring us to do more every day. Donate here. How can people continue to fight food insecurity beyond Hunger Action Month? I think the biggest thing to remember is that we’re all one meal, one paycheck, one moment away from experiencing hunger ourselves. Food insecurity isn’t an abstract concept – it exists everywhere, and could very well affect you or someone you love. That’s why the fight is so vital and why it must be fought all year long. So, give generously to hunger relief organizations that inspire you. Offer your time and services to a local food pantry. Follow organizations like ours on social media and share the content we create. If we all engaged with this issue beyond Hunger Action Month, just imagine the things we could do. To find your place in our mission this Hunger Action Month, click here.

Muhammad Talha is Food Bank For New York City’s Director of Operations, which means he’s in charge of directing the flow of product through our Warehouse & Food Distribution Center in the Bronx. Each day, he makes sure that the right food gets to the right people in the right amounts at the right time. The job is ceaseless, but one he’s especially prepared for after serving in the U.S. Military. “I’m an immigrant. I came to the U.S. in 2014 and decided after seven years that I wanted to give back to the country that had given me so much. I joined the Military and my passion for service only grew.” Food Banker Muhammad Talha is a proud Army Veteran. After finding his way to Food Bank, he became especially attuned to the ways in which food insecurity impacts Veterans. “Hunger is one of the major struggles that Veterans face, not only after service, but during service as well. 1 in 4 service members face hunger and 1.2 million Veterans currently rely on SNAP benefits.” “I don’t want anyone to feel hunger, because I faced it,” he explains. “I came from Pakistan as an immigrant and hunger is a huge issue there. I have seen it. I have felt it very closely. I have learned that we have to care, we have to look out for each other.” Watch the video to learn more about Talha and how you can support food insecure service members this Veteran’s Day.