Besides marking the start of a long Labor Day weekend, today is significant for another reason. The first Friday in September each year is National Food Bank Day, a day to help friends and neighbors in the community who are hungry.
Across the U.S., some 40 million citizens struggle with hunger; in North Texas, there are 700,000 individuals and families facing hunger for a variety of reasons. A sudden job loss, illness, natural disaster, or any number of circumstances can cause a financial reversal, leading to difficulty affording food.
In an effort to offset this, the Tarrant County Food Bank and the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) accept food as well as monetary donations. Volunteers are also needed for food distribution, administrative tasks, advocacy, gardening work, and special events.
The Tarrant County Food Bank, located in Fort Worth, serves Tarrant County as well as 12 other surrounding counties. The nonprofit organization provides 1,000,000 meals each week.
The North Texas Food Bank, located in Plano, serves 13 counties in North Texas and provided 136.9 million meals last year. The NTFB E-store offers items for sale, with all proceeds going straight to the food bank to provide nutritious meals for hungry North Texans.
In addition, the entire month of September is Hunger Action month, according to Feeding America.org. Click here to learn more about hunger research and more ways to help. The NTFB has provided a calendar with suggestions of activities to help fight hunger each day this month, which you can access here.
Of course, hunger is not limited to just one day or just one month; there are individuals and families in need throughout the year. But if you are hungry to help, today is as good a day as any to get started.
