Local Affiliates Host Picnics, Rallies, Benefit Lunches, Food Drives, Sort-A-Thons, And Online Campaigns in Support of National Hunger Awareness Day

Can 9 Million Hungry Kids Inspire a Nation?

Chicago, IL -- Across the country, local food banks and food-rescueorganizations of America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest hunger-relief charity, have mobilized their supporters to focus the nation's attention on the severe but solvable problem of domestic hunger and its impact on our nation's children. To bring attention to the problems among the millions of at-risk children who don't have access to federally subsidized school breakfast and lunch during the summer, America's Second Harvest is sponsoring this second National Hunger Awareness Day on Thursday, June 5.

Anti-hunger advocates will use National Hunger Awareness Day to urge legislators to fully fund and improve child nutrition programs, including summer and after-school feeding programs, school-based meals, and the Women's Infant and Child supplemental feeding program.

"We must draw a line in the sand to end child hunger," says Robert Forney, President and CEO, America's Second Harvest. "Today, we all raise our voices to say that we will not accept this silent tragedy. We want to inspire our nation into action."

There will be National Hunger Awareness Day events in every state in America. The following are among the thousands of activities scheduled on June 5:

New York City
Executive Director Julia Erickson of City Harvest, Dr. Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., Food Bank for New York City, Food For Survival, and Bob Forney will ring the opening bell at NASDAQ. Later, a First Lady Laura Bush PSA on ending child hunger will air in Times Square. Also, NASCAR Car Number 74 with the A2H logo will be on display.

City Harvest and the Food Bank for New York City have joined with other NYC anti-hunger organizations to call on New Yorkers to help feed their hungry neighbors, particularly children. The campaign enlists Wall Street, NYC corporations, restaurants and businesses to lend their support. Donate Your Lunch encourages New Yorkers to bring lunch and donate their usual lunch money, or purchase lunch and donate an amount of equal value; companies to match employee contributions; and restaurants and takeout eateries to contribute a percentage of customers' bills.

Chicago, IL
Local alderman and staff from Jewel, USDA and Greater Chicago Food Depository will accompany send its produce mobile to low-income families in the Uptown community on Chicago's North Side. National Hunger Day activities serve as a lead in to the 18th annual Hunger Walk, and June will be a month-long focus on hunger.

Rallies in DuPage, Lake and Kane Counties will be led by the county officials and the Northern Illinois Food Bank and will finish with processions of fire and police vehicles from each community in the county handing over their food drive materials to the Northern Illinois Food Bank. The Pampered Chef is also hosting a food drive.

Washington, DC
A new poll will be released on the public's opinions about hunger in a Capitol Hill event. Nine children from around the country, each symbolically representing a million hungry kids, will speak on how hunger has touched their lives. Also, Senator Elizabeth Dole will make a major speech on hunger and nutrition on the U.S. Senate floor.

Flint, MI
In celebration of Nation Hunger Awareness Day on June 5th the UAW Region 1-C and General Motors are partnering together with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to raise 1 million pounds of food. This partnership will involve four components of the GM family--- Production Facilities, Non-Production Facilities, Dealerships and GMAC Financial Services. The UAW Region 1-C, General Motors family will be doing virtual food drives through a website that was developed for this event.

Tulsa, OK
Citizens are invited to volunteer alongside local celebrities, community leaders and politicians at volunteer events. Media personalities will compete in such games as Fill the Barrel, Stack the Canned Food, and Grocery Cart Race. Local restaurants will donate a percentage of their day's sales to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

Baltimore, MD
A convoy of tractor-trailer trucks, including Perdue Farms, will travel through downtown to bring attention to the problem of hunger and to acknowledge the generosity of Maryland food companies that support the Maryland Food Bank.

Atlanta, GA
On June 5th, Publix and the Atlanta Braves will host a "day at the park" for 100 children in need who are participating in summer programs supported by the Atlanta Community Food Bank and USDA. The kids will be treated to lunch with Braves players including John Smoltz and an interactive goal-setting program presented by the Braves. To generate additional public awareness, Publix will conclude their 2-week food drive.

San Francisco, CA
The San Francisco Food Bank will hold a press conference with Macy's West's CFO Mike Wirkkala, who will talk about the successful "Bag Hunger" food drive. This year's campaign, which included 141 Macy's West stores in seven states and Guam, collected 764,261 pounds of food. is year.  Safeway, one of the largest contributors to affiliates of America's Second Harvest, will be donating a truckload of food. Also, agencies and volunteers will sign a letter to Gov. Grey Davis to keep programs for low-income people.

Palm Beach, FL
Office Depot will host food drives at 13 of its retail stores in the Palm Beach and Houston, Texas area. Office Depot employees will volunteer at local summer lunch program sites and serve children.

Gray, TN
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee will host local legislators and media representatives and recognize food donors and others for their contributions to ending hunger. Low-income children from Kids Café agencies will attend a Kids Day event at the Appalachian Fair Grounds.