Without volunteers, we wouldn't be able to turn a vision into reality! Fighting hunger and giving back is an All-Hands-On-Deck opportunity for everyone to dive into! It's no difficult task to give back to your community and help out in some way. Even just the simple act of bringing/raising awareness to rising problems like food insecurity, the cost of housing and those rendered homeless, etc. can make a tremendous difference.
You help ensure that we are able to quickly and efficiently get food and other necessities prepared for agencies. And agencies pick up those items (from places like us, the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank) that the people in their area needs, which supplies their pantries with food and items for those seeking assistance.
According to the USDA, at least 11.1% of U.S. households were food insecure at least sometime during the year (2018), including a 4.3% (that's 5.6 million households) of which had very low food security. For more information and statistics, you can visit this page.
In an article from Parents Magazine published in 2011, one in four children don't have enough to eat. This has a greater impact on their health, development, and future than most know or understand. Parents will often skip meals as a means to ensure their children get enough to eat. As a result, mothers in food-insecure homes were reported to show symptoms of depression and exhaustion; depressed moms are less likely to show compassion, play games, and overall engage in usually enriching activities with their children. Food is important! Additionally, it's important to realize that studies have also linked obesity with food insecurity; a parent may buy nutritional foods and fresh produce, but eventually if their funds are low, cheaper and less healthy items may be picked up as a means to make up for lost options.
A lot of families don't realize they can get further assistance, or they fall through a gap in the system where they aren't poor enough to qualify for aid - but still can't pay their bills or afford to keep food and essentials available for their family. And while the economy is slowly and gradually improving, it will still take time for food-insecure households to bounce back.
Together, we can make a difference! It starts with figuring out whether or not you want to be part of a long-term commitment or just a one-time project. Following that, you can call or contact an appropriate organization (like ours!) to see how you and your family can get involved.
Parents has a great article that breaks down the process and gives great advice on how to get you and your children to help! It provides a lot of useful information and tips on making it fun, encouraging creativity and engaging the curious side of your child to ensure they're gaining knowledge from the experience. For the full article and to see "10 ways kids can help", click this link here!
Change doesn't happen overnight, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
YOU make change POSSIBLE!
YOU make a DIFFERENCE!
