National Food Bank Day on the first Friday in September encourages you to commit to contributing to the cause that believes no one should go to bed hungry.

Hunger may be as close as your neighbor or your coworker in the next cubical. Bare cupboards and empty stomachs look just like yours and mine behind closed doors.

Food banks across the country help some of the 42 million men, women and children who struggle with putting food on the table. The reasons range from illness to job loss and a general change in circumstances.

Circumstances that can happen to anyone of us.  Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people who did not need help in the past to be reaching out for help and lining up for food distributions.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalFoodBankDay

Here are a few suggestions of ways you can observe National Food Bank Day:

1. Volunteer at a local food bank, food pantry or soup kitchen. If you don’t know where help is needed, contact a local church. Many churches partner with community feeding programs and could help you find a location to volunteer in your community.

2. Donate to a local feeding program. Armstrong has an initiative called Breaking Bread that provides support to over 200 feeding programs in the communities served by Armstrong. During the month of September Armstrong is conducting Avenge Hunger Month. For 2020 the focus of Avenge Hunger Month is a virtual 5K race with all the proceeds going to local feeding programs. Click here to register. Participants can run, walk, treadmill, or bike from any location they choose. Participants young and old are encouraged to dress as a superhero and post photos on social media using the #AvengeHunger5K. Medals will be issued to participants to show they helped to Avenge Hunger in their community.