September is Hunger Action Month

September is Hunger Action Month – a month dedicated to spreading awareness and taking action to end hunger in America. Feeding America estimates approximately 49 million people (1 in 6) turned to the charitable food sector for help in 2022.

In northern Indiana, 76,300 (10.3%) of neighbors including 22,800 (12.5%) children experience food insecurity in our communities. The impact of a meal goes well beyond feeding our bodies – food can open endless possibilities for people to thrive. Food insecurity can impact anyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, ability, geography, nation origin or any other distinguishing characteristic or trait.

Friday, September 15, is Hunger Action Day. Orange is the symbolic color for hunger relief. Make a bold statement and wear your brightest orange to support those in northern Indiana who go hungry.

The following local landmarks will go orange on Hunger Action Day:

• South Bend River Lights, River Lights Plaza, 340 E. Colfax Avenue, South Bend.
• Skywalk Bridge at Memorial Hospital, 615 N. Michigan Street, South Bend.
• Barnes & Thornburg LLP, 201 S. Main Street, South Bend.
• Studebaker Fountain, 907 Riverside Drive, South Bend.
• *Central Park Bridge, 295 E. Mishawaka Avenue, Mishawaka, is tentative

Organize a food drive at your workplace, club or place of worship to restock the Food Bank’s warehouse shelves. Food collected is redistributed through our network of agency partners.

•  Most needed items include Peanut Butter, Jelly, Canned Soup (Chicken Noodle, Cream of Mushroom, Vegetable, Tomato), Pancake Mix and Syrup, Boxed Dinner Meals (Beef Pasta, Alfredo, Cheeseburger, Cheesy Tuna, Lasagna), Canned Fruit, Canned Vegetables, Boxed Potatoes (Au Gratin, Mashed), Spaghetti and Spaghetti Sauce. *Low sugar, Low sodium, pop top lids and no glass jars, please.
• Every $1 donated to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana provides up to 5 meals or 8 lbs. of food.

Encourage the community to visit  and volunteer at the Food Bank and its 114 partner agencies in our six-county service area  to learn how we are feeding hungry neighbors and creating healthier communities.

Tour the Food Bank’s facility and learn about its programs – Food 4 Kids Backpack Program, Mobile Food Pantry Program, Senior Nutrition Program, Commodity Supplemental Food Program, The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and Community Food Pantry of St. Joseph County.

Encourage legislators to strengthen critical nutrition programs in the 2023 Farm Bill – the nation’s centerpiece federal legislation for food and farming – that impacts access to nutritious food for people facing hunger, including seniors, children and active military members.

Share your photos by tagging the Food Bank on Facebook (@Food-Bank-of-Northern-Indiana), Twitter (@FoodBkNIndiana) and Instagram (@foodbknindiana) and include #HungerActionMonth, #EndHunger and @FeedingAmeica.

Hunger Action Month began in 2008 when Feeding America’s network of food banks united to mobilize individuals to take action to fight hunger in their communities.  Originally, this initiative was called Hunger Action Day which began in 2002 and was held on the first Tuesday of June. The Food Bank of Northern Indiana has participated in Hunger Action Month since 2009.

WHEN:  Friday, September 15, 2023.

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana works in partnership with the community to feed the hungry, increase awareness of the effects of hunger and lead programs designed to alleviate hunger. The Food Bank serves Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Marshall, Starke and St. Joseph Counties and is a member of Feeding America, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry and United. Way.