Note from the CEO
September, 2024
Hunger Action is the most significant annual event for food banks, and we’re excited to celebrate our work and collective impact this month.
Hunger Action Month is the Feeding America network’s annual awareness campaign that takes place each September to spread awareness about food insecurity and encourage engagement in the movement to end hunger.
When we step up individually, and when we team up as community, we can make BIG change and inspire widespread action. Too often, we think one individual’s actions don’t make an impact… Trust me, they most certainly do.
Whether it be individual action or action as a part of group of colleagues, neighbors, or friends, we hope you’ll celebrate this important annual holiday with us. There are many ways to contribute: volunteering time, donating money, donating food, or advocating and educating others about the urgent and important topic of food insecurity.
Celebrate Hunger Action Month through Advocacy
The U.S. Farm Bill is an expansive piece of legislation that governs many federal nutrition and agriculture programs. The opportunity to impact this important bill only comes around approximately once every five years, and lawmakers are currently considering the next farm bill. Through the next farm bill, our nation has a viable pathway to help the nearly 44 million people in the U.S., living in food insecure households, put food on the table.
Feeding America is urging Congress to double down on our nation’s commitment to ending hunger by strengthening critical nutrition programs in the next farm bill that help seniors, families, children, active military members, and others. We encourage you to be part of this advocacy by voicing your support of these essential nutrition programs to our Colorado elected officials.
Here are some tangible ideas:
- Call and write to your Federal and/or State legislators; if you are a supporter of our work, write a letter to your elected officials and tell them why you support us.
- If you are a food bank volunteer, help these legislators understand what you do, what you see, and what you learn from your work here.
- Fun fact: An average FBLC volunteer gives an average of nine hours per year; tell legislators—and anyone you know—why you choose to spend those hours with us.
- If you are a donor, help others understand why you’re choosing to support our mission and work.
- You can find information regarding state and federal policy priorities on the Feeding Colorado website
Your Action Makes a Difference
Yes, even small donations and actions can truly make a difference. We understand that messages like this can sometimes feel generic or even insincere, but believe me, we genuinely mean it!
Our organization could not do what we do without individual commitments of money, food, and time. Individually they may seem small, but collectively, these contributions create the bulk of the resources that allow us to do our work.
More than half of our annual financial donors give $100 or less annually. Collectively, community financial support from individual donors make up about 80% of all fundraising revenue we receive. In other words, your donation—even if it feels small by itself—is one of many that together make a huge impact.
Everyone at Food Bank for Larimer County—myself especially—feels deep gratitude for the support and partnership we receive from our community. I continue to be optimistic that we will celebrate Hunger Action Month in a way that propels the momentum toward our vision of a hunger-free Larimer County.
