There are many individuals all across the United States who are committed to helping solve child hunger in America. Here are just a few of the stories from people who have made a difference.
Food Bank Volunteer Always Ready to Help
For the past five years, Louis has volunteered at Feeding America® of Kentucky's Heartland. Each week, he helps the food bank sort and repackage donated product, load and unload trucks, and label canned food. Louis's years as a truck driver enable him to contribute in different ways than most volunteers at the food bank.
Food Bank Volunteer Always Ready to Help
"I felt there was a need, and I had the time to help," said Louis, a retired truck driver.
For the past five years, Louis has volunteered at Feeding America of Kentucky's Heartland, the member of the Feeding America network in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Each week, he helps the food bank sort and repackage donated product, load and unload trucks, and label canned food. Louis's years as a truck driver enable him to contribute in different ways than most volunteers at the food bank.
Louis continues to make use of his commercial driving license (CDL) and driving experience to serve as the food bank's relief driver. After Hurricane Katrina, Louis drove to the devastated area on behalf of the food bank to deliver loads of donated food to satellite locations that fed those displaced from their homes. Because of his efforts, Feeding America officially recognized him as a disaster-relief volunteer.
"The more I've been involved, the more I have realized there are many people in need," said Louis.
Additionally, he volunteered his time to help with the Feeding America national study Hunger in America 2006, a comprehensive profile of the incidence and nature of hunger and food insecurity in the United States. Louis helped the food bank conduct nearly 100 interviews with people receiving food assistance from their local food pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters.
On days when he is not busy, he calls the food bank to see if his help is needed. Most people would look at a day off as time to relax, but not Louis. He is always focused on helping others in any way possible.
"Louis is the epitome of what a volunteer is all about," said Milissa French, Volunteer Program Coordinator at Feeding America of Kentucky's Heartland. "He is humble, hardworking, and believes he is here to help others."
Linette True is a chef and volunteer culinary instructor with Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline® in Portland, Oregon.
"When I see the pride of accomplishment on an Operation Frontline student's face at dicing an onion or making pizza dough or preparing a dish for the potluck, it uplifts my spirit, and there is just nothing better than that," she says.
Retiree Just Wants to Give Back
After losing his job just before retirement, Len learned the hard way that life's always a challenge. Forced to file for early retirement, he found himself in need of assistance. Now he's a food bank recipient and volunteer, volunteering twice a week at the Feeding America main office in Chicago.
Retiree Just Wants to Give Back
Len didn't expect to be starting over at age 61. With only a few years left before reaching retirement age, he was looking forward to his golden years. Then Len lost his job. He soon found that the job market wasn't too inviting for a man his age, despite his years of accounting experience. Eventually, Len was forced to file for early retirement.
"It was either file or starve," he said. But filing for retirement early came with a hefty penalty for Len, and he lost about $400 a month in social security.
Now Len lives in subsidized housing for senior citizens in Chicago and finds himself coming up short with what he needs to pay bills and buy groceries. Luckily, he is able to get help once a month through Catholic Charities USA®, which is served by the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a member of the Feeding America network.
"The food bank helps immensely," he said. "I get a huge variety of foods—even fresh fruits and vegetables, depending on the season. It's wonderful to have somewhere like this to help people in need."
Len's gratitude for the help he receives drives him to give in return. So now, twice a week, Len can be found volunteering at the Feeding America national office in Chicago.
"I just want to give back," Len said. "I feel blessed by what I've been getting through these programs, and I think you should give back when you can."
Through his volunteer services and by using the food bank himself, Len has been able to see both sides of the network. "A lot of people don't understand you can be in any bracket and in any past career and find yourself in need," he said. "It's not just poor people, but also the elderly, people who lose their jobs and source of income. Anybody and everybody could find themselves in the same situation I did."
Quince Grounds is a volunteer Nutrition Educator with Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline in Dallas, Texas. In her work, she finds it rewarding to see people graduate from the Operation Frontline program. "[They] feel empowered to make a change in their life that is positive. They leave with the knowledge to live a healthier life and they pass it on to their children."
Family of Four Makes Commitment to Help Solve Hunger in America
More than five years ago, Stephanie and her husband, Josh, began donating to Feeding America—The Nation's Food Bank network after learning about the organization's hunger-relief efforts through mailings. After reading one of the mailings, Stephanie was stunned by what she learned and was motivated to help.
Family of Four Makes Commitment to Help Solve Hunger in America
More than five years ago, Stephanie and her husband, Josh, began donating to Feeding America—The Nation's Food Bank network after learning about the organization's hunger-relief efforts through mailings. After reading one of the mailings, Stephanie was stunned by what she learned and was motivated to help.
"To me, hunger relief is so fundamental because hunger touches so many types of demographics—children, elderly, working poor," said Stephanie. "When I read that the Feeding America network distributes more than 2 billion pounds of food to more than 25 million Americans each year, I was amazed."
Stephanie stays at home with her two children, while her husband works in the entertainment industry. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Stephanie also worked in the entertainment industry. She sees herself going back to work, not in the entertainment world, but rather in the nonprofit world, and Feeding America is where she would like to put forth a fair amount of her efforts.
"We find it most important to volunteer as a family—to actually live what we believe, not just talk about it," said Stephanie.
Not only is Stephanie a strong financial supporter of the Feeding America network, but she is also committed to hunger relief in her personal life. For instance, whenever Stephanie's family holds birthday parties at their home, they pack the leftover sandwiches and food in a wagon and travel around town offering it to people on the streets.
Hunger is an issue that Stephanie has often discussed with her children. When she inquired about what kinds of things she could do with her kids to get them involved in hunger relief, she was told to organize a food drive.
"My son and I went door to door around the neighborhood collecting food for the local food pantry," said Stephanie. "After the food was collected, I took my son with me to the food pantry so he could see what happened with the food. In this way, hunger has touched our lives."
At the beginning of each year, Stephanie and her husband decide which organizations to support, and increase the amount of their donation from the previous year.
"If we need to take money out of our savings to make the donation, we do it. We give the donation regardless—it's a commitment in our hearts that we have made," said Stephanie.
To Stephanie, hunger is a problem that is often overlooked and easily forgotten by society. With the abundance in this country, she believes there is no reason that people should go hungry.
"Through donating to Feeding America, you really feel like you are making a difference," said Stephanie.
