Food For Thought

Giving Back

by Leanne Ely, C.N.C

Did you know that 1 in 6 kids in America goes to bed hungry? It’s a shocking statistic.

One day, not too long ago, I was at my local grocery store and was saddened to see how much waste there was with foods that had reached their expiration dates being thrown out. These foods were FINE! They could have been donated to food banks or distributed to the hungry but because of certain laws and company policies it was not possible. I was determined at that point to find some way that I could help.

When Saving Dinner was first started 10 years ago our main goal was (and still is) to help families prepare healthy, yummy dinners and get back to the dinner table. In the past ten years we have heard a lot of stories about different families and their needs. This week, we want to give something back. This is why we have chosen to support Feeding America.

They recently published a report that shows hunger is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. Here are some of the facts based on their own distribution of emergency food:

• Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.
• That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.
• Feeding America’s nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.
• Thirty-six percent of the households we serve have at least one person working.
• More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.
• The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

This week Saving Dinner is giving back. 20% from all sales* will be donated to Feeding America. You can learn more about them here http://feedingamerica.org.

Giving back will help feed the tummies of many families but it also helps feed our souls. Won’t you join us and help Feeding America and Saving Dinner bring families back to the dinner table?

*excluding Menu-Mailer ™ and Premium Memberships