9 things you can do on National Hunger Awareness Day

One in four people in a soup kitchen line is a child. June 5 is National Hunger Awareness Day in the United States and in communities across the country, people are getting together to address hunger in the world's richest nation, especially as it affects 9 million children in America.

While you can participate in local Hunger Day activities in your state (go to http://www.hungerday.org/ to find out what's going on near you), there are things you can do on your own as well. Here are some suggestions.

1. Use your contacts

Get together with the people you've befriended for this good cause. Hold a meeting at your local Pakistani-American center or association office and plan something for Hunger Day in your community. It could be a visit to a soup kitchen, an interfaith food drive held in your respective mosques, churches and places of worship, fasting together and then giving the money for the three meals you didn't eat to a local charity, or any other creative idea.

2. Hold an open discussion in your Community about it

It will be an open mike discussion with community members to think and plan out a strategy for participation in Hunger Day. Start off the discussion by silently handing out a Fact Sheet (http://www.secondharvest.org/whoshungry/current_stats.html) about the problem.

3. Visit a soup kitchen

If the above suggestions are not feasible, then at least on Hunger Day visit a city facility which has worked to feed the hungry in the past or volunteer at a soup kitchen. Better yet, get your family involved, especially your kids. They'll learn not only about hunger, but also about the value of volunteering.

4. Get the schools involved

Although June is hardly the time most students think about getting more involved in school, squeeze out the last bit of enthusiasm from your kids and their classmates before the summer break by having them at least post a banner (http://www.hungerday.org/web_art.html) about Hunger Day or setting up a table at their school about it. Let them provide factsheets (http://www.hungerday.org/child_hunger_factsheet.html) to fellow students about hunger or put up a small display about hunger in America and how it affects children in particular.

5. Write about it in your local newspaper

Letters to the editor and op-ed articles are always welcome at newspapers. You don't need to be a writer to be published on these pages open to the public. Use this opportunity to spread the word about Hunger Day and to raise awareness about the problem of hunger in America, especially as it affects 9 million children.

Also, write about Hunger Day in city, state and national Pakistani-American newspapers like Pakistan Link to educate our community about it and encourage readers to get involved.

6. Organize a Food Drive

Organize a food drive at your Pak-American association, workplace, school, neighborhood, or club. Be sure to coordinate efforts with your local food bank or food-rescue organization.

7. Raise Funds

Organize a hunger-relief fundraiser, like an "empty plate" meal, in your community or at your office, school, or church.

Donate money and encourage others to donate. Ask your coworkers, friends, and family to donate the equivalent of what each would spend on lunch in one day.

8. Increase Awarenes

Learn more about hungry people in America by reading their stories in their own words (http://www.americassecondharvest.org/fan). Dispel some of the myths about hunger (http://hungerday.org/myth_reality.html) in America.

9. Find out more about and get involved in the fight against hunger in the world

While it's important to "think globally and act locally" when addressing the problem of hunger, don't forget that hunger is something that affects children, women and men worldwide. In this regard, don't forget places like Pakistan, where hunger has more direct and serious effects for children and families. This Hunger Day donate generously for the hungry of America and Pakistan (https://www.yespakistan.com/hdf/whatyoucando/donation.asp), remembering that more than 840 million people in the world are malnourished—799 million of them are from the developing world in places like Pakistan, and that over 153 million of them are under the age of 5.

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/2/2004 2:42:55 PM

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