"Blog It Forward to Fight Hunger" with ShopRite

Thanks to Jenn from Momma D and Da Boyz for connecting me to this great opportunity.

Walk over to your trash can now. Take a peek inside. Tell me, what is staring back at you? I am almost certain you or someone in your family has scraped the remains of breakfast, lunch, or dinner off the plate and into the trash.

So what's my point?

Well, not everyone has the luxury to waste food. Even if you are fortunate to live in abundance, there is no reason to be less mindful of those who go to bed hungry every single night.

I bet you had no clue about the startling statistics facing millions of people across the world. Take a look at this:

Facts About Hunger in America

• More than 36 million Americans (11 percent of U.S. households) suffer from food insecurity
• Food insecurity is when you are unsure when or what your next meal will be

• Statewide food insecurity rates in the ShopRite area are:
• New Jersey – 7.7%
• Delaware – 7.8%
• Maryland – 9.5% (my home state)
  
• Connecticut – 8.6%
• Pennsylvania – 10%
• New York – 9.8%

• More than 12 million children are growing up hungry

• Nearly 2 million seniors suffer from food insecurity

• During 2007, nearly 18 million children received free or reduced lunch

• There are many complications of hunger, especially for children, including:
• Weakened immune systems
• Cognitive and behavioral development problems; can cause irritability, fatigue and difficulty concentrating in younger children. Also proven to cause depression in some teenagers
• Slow or unusual development in areas such as speaking, behavior and movement

• A $1 donation can purchase 10 pounds of food from a food bank

*Facts are as reported by Feeding America

I am almost ashamed to say, "I'm hungry" anymore. Unlike these millions of Americans, I do know where my next meal is going to come from. The question is, what can I do, we do, to make this problem become a thing of the past?

ShopRite has found a solution (some of the following information has been provided).

In 1999, ShopRite conceived and began its ShopRite Partners In Caring program, a year-round, community based hunger fighting initiative. With the help of more than 50 manufacturers, the program is committed to helping to feed and meet the nutritional needs of families and the elderly who may otherwise go without. These generous companies are a major reason why ShopRite Partners In Caring has been such a success.

Today, the ShopRite Partners In Caring program supports 23 regional food banks and more than 1,400 charitable agencies with food or meal components. With a $2 million annual donation, more than $20 million has been donated since 1999 in the fight against hunger.

If you want to be a part of the solution, visit your local ShopRite and look for products from companies that have joined in the fight to end hunger. The shelf tag will look like the photo to the left.

Every time a customer purchases products with the ShopRite Partners In Caring shelf tag, they support the brands that support the fight against hunger. At ShopRite, customers are not just filling a grocery bag; they are helping to fill empty bowls for thousands of hungry families in your community.

Each of the 217 ShopRite stores in the six states that ShopRite serves (New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland) selects qualified local organizations to benefit from the program. These local food charities use their designated funds to acquire supplies at a food bank.

Take a look at this equation:

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Your Comments
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Box of Cereal donated to a food bank

On top of everything mentioned, General Mills and ShopRite will donate one box of cereal to a food bank in ShopRite’s trading area for the first 30 people who comment on your post.

Now it's easier than ever to help fight hunger.

Please leave a comment about (pick one):

• what you can do to stop wasting food
• how you can help fight hunger
• why charity is important to you
• how you feel about ShopRite's efforts
• ways you serve your community
• or anything relevant to this topic

*I, along with nearly 100 bloggers, will have an image become part of a photo mosaic on a General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios box that will be available for sale exclusively at ShopRite stores in January, 2010.

For more on the program, visit www.ShopRitePartnersInCaring.org
You can also find out about ways in which you can help.

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