Hunger Prevention Coalition distributes $13,500
Working together to provide nutritious food forthe hungry is its only mission! Last week, theHunger Prevention Coalition of Central Oregon(“HPC”)proudly disbursed another $13,500to local partner agencies who serve thousandsofmeals and donate food boxes toneedy families, elderly, disabled, homeless andunemployed Central Oregonians.
During the 2012fHPCgave over $80,000 to itslocalpartner agencies.Since itsinception in 2002, the”Help Fill EmptyPlates”program has given over$488,000to organizations throughout Central Oregon dedicated to servingand feeding the hungry.Current agency recipientsincludeBethlehem Inn,Communityof Christ Church,Family Kitchen,Holy Trinity Care andShare,LaPine Community Kitchen,Oasis Soup Kitchen,Salvation Army -Bend,Saving Grace, St.Vincent de Paul-Bend, Prineville andLaPine, andTheGiving Plate.
The need is greaterthan ever inourcommunityand beyond. Forone in sixpeople in the United States,hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated withhunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country,or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is muchdifferent.Theseare often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make endsmeet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.
StatisticsonFood Insecurity andVery Low Food Security:
(data source:http://feedingamerica.org):
• In 2011, 50.1 million Americans lived infood insecure households, 33.5 million adults and 16.7 million children.
• In 2011, 14.9 percent of households (17.9million households) were food insecure.
• In 2011, 5.7 percent of households (6.8million households) experienced very low food security.
• In 2011, households with children reportedfood insecurity at a significantly higher rate than those withoutchildren, 20.6 percent compared to 12.2percent.
• In 2011, households that had higher rates offood insecurity than the national average included households withchildren (20.6 percent), especially households with children headed bysingle women (36.8 percent) or single men (24.9 percent), Blacknon-Hispanic households (25.1 percent) and
Hispanic households (26.2percent).
• In 2011, 8.8 percent of seniors living alone(1 million households) were food insecure.
• Food insecurity exists in every county inAmerica, ranging from a low of 5 percent in Steele County, ND to a high of37 percent in Holmes County, MS.
How the program works?Localstores host the”Help Fill EmptyPlates”program with placards located at or near the checkout stand ofparticipating stores. They contain coupons that may be purchased in incrementsof $10, $5 and $2.45. One hundred percent raised through this program goesdirectly tolocal food providers and shelters to help individuals andfamilies in need. When you purchase one of these coupons, you are helpingto increase nutritious foods in our community.
Participating”Help Fill Empty Plates” stores include Newport Avenue Market, several areaErickson Thriftway stores, Ray’s Food Place Markets, Sunriver Country Store, Food4 Less, Grocery Outlets (Redmond and Prineville), Shop Smart (La Pine), Tumalo CountryStore, Jackson’s Corner Restaurant,and St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store. Theprogram seeks to enroll more stores in Central Oregon to support and help HPCwith the fight against hunger.Contactkaseyevery@gmail.comor208-250-7540for moreinformationor visitwww.hungerpc.org
About theHunger Prevention Coalitionof Central Oregon
The Hunger Prevention Coalition ofCentral Oregon (“HPC”) was formed in 2000 by a group oflocal citizens concerned about the lack of nutritious foodsavailable through local agencies who feed those in need. This groupconsisted of virtually all the public and private groups involved inaddressinghunger in Central Oregon, including agencies that worked withNeighborImpact and the Oregon Food Bank. In 2002, HPC adopted bylaws andelected a Board of Directors, launching the “Help Fill Empty Plates” program tohelp eliminate hunger in the Central Oregon community. Moreinformation:www.hungerpc.org.
