April Food Day is Tomorrow!

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My fellow bloggers Meg from Pigtown Design and Chris from Easy And Elegant Life asked me to share this important message with you:

Do you know that:

•  Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children.This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.

• That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.

• Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.

• Thirty-six percent of the households served have at least one person working.

• More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.

• The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

• Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters.

• 68 percent of pantries, 42 percent of soup kitchens, and 15 percent of emergency shelters rely solely on volunteers and have no paid staff.

• 55 percent, are faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations; 33 percent are other types of non-profit organizations.

 It is so critical that those of us who are not in this position help those who are. So many people who never thought they would need food assistance are now asking for help from their local food bank. They have lost their jobs through the massive down-sizings and layoffs. They have exhausted all of their resources. Elderly people on fixed incomes are finding that costs are out-pacing their incomes.

First-time requests at food banks are at an all-time high, but the shelves are bare. Corporations and foundations have decreased their donations and individuals are so uncertain about their own finances, that their giving has slowed.

We are asking that you make a donation, even if it's just a dollar or two. It will help someone who may be less fortunate than you are.

Here's the link to Feeding America, an affiliation of more than 200 food banks across the country. Chances are that your local food bank is a part of this network.

The link to their April Food Day donation page: http://help.feedingamerica.org/aprilfoodday

The April Food Day blog: http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/

We're all in this together, and that's the way we will come through it... together.

Please help today. The need is great and the time is now.

Thank you so very much.