LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Food insecurity in the Commonwealth affects one in six people, but God’s Pantry Food Bank is always working to help change that.
“Accessing food should not be an impossible choice for those that are facing food insecurity,” said President and CEO Michael Halligan. ““Our mission is about reducing hunger by working together to feed Kentucky communities.”
September is Hunger Action Month, and God’s Pantry Food Bank is encouraging the community to join in to fight hunger. Taking action can look different for each person.
“The working together part is a key component of Hunger Action Month,” Halligan said. “Individuals can choose to advocate, they can choose to volunteer, or they can choose to donate. They could do any one of the three or all three.”
In each donation, just one dollar provides six meals for people in need. Halligan shared a little more about the journey each dollar takes.
“That dollar comes into our organization and then we manage the stewardship of that dollar. For every dollar that's donated, 95 cents goes to programming.”
That programming means the dollars go towards stacking the shelves in the warehouse full of food. While they do look full, it only contains a little over three weeks’ worth of food. That’s because the space is meant to be for temporary stops, not lengthy storage.
“That dollar is not about storing food,” added Halligan. “That dollar is about getting food onto someone's table as fast as we can.”
Volunteering is another way to take action this month. Doug Fiero has volunteered for more than a decade. He recently retired, and now works at the location at the Lexington Public Library Northside Branch.
“I honestly start looking forward to Fridays to come here and help,” Fiero said. “It only takes one or two bad events in somebody's life, and all of a sudden things like having food for the day might be an issue.”
Along with donations and volunteering, there’s also an opportunity to advocate for the cause by wearing orange on Hunger Action Day.
“Orange kind of goes back to the vibrant color in food,” said Halligan. “Think fresh fruits and vegetables. 40% of the food that we distribute out of this food bank is fresh fruits and vegetables, and when you see the color orange, you think of citrus and oranges and those kinds of things. That's part of where orange comes from. There are a lot of other reasons, but that's part of it.”
Next Tuesday, Sept. 9 is Hunger Action Day. You can find more about God’s Pantry Food Bank and how to join the fight against hunger here.
