Hunger in our backyards

While many of us gather around Thanksgiving feasts with copious amounts of food, families on limited incomes are struggling to feed their children.

Although we might not realize it, hunger is a serious issue plaguing our country. Nearly 50 million people in the United States regularly don't have access to adequate amounts of food, the highest number ever since records have been kept. At some point in their lives, 50 percent of all children in this country will have relied on food stamps for survival.















Feeling guilty yet?

Instead of simply sitting around and feeling bad, do something! I thought of a few things that we can do to combat hunger:

1) If there's one thing that any of us can do, regardless of expertise or resources, it's volunteer time at a local food bank or soup kitchen. While some people, particularly around the holidays, do volunteer to help feed the hungry, it's really a full-time job and the people who operate these facilities need full-time support. We have several soup kitchens in the area – check your local listings to find one near you.

2) If you grow your own food you might consider planting an extra row this spring to help feed the hungry. Millions of pounds of fruits, vegetables and herbs are already donated each year by gardeners throughout the country. You can be among them!

3) Support companies and stores that donate to hunger relief causes.

4) Donate to CANI; CANI combats hunger by connecting families to resources for food and helping them on become self-sufficient.