by  Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

"Fighting Hunger Together" is the name of the charity drive that was launched by Walmart in order to provide food pantries with supplies. Walmart will be donating $1.5 million dollars combine to six major American cities to aid the local food pantries in those cities. Walmart is using the social media website, Facebook, to determine which cities should get the green. Users of Facebook can go under Walmart's campaign, "Fighting Hunger Together", and "Like" the city that they feel deserves the money.

The voting through the "Like" button will go on through December 31st, 2010. Walmart chose to 100 metropolitan areas that can be voted for. According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), these areas were identified as having the highest rate of food hardship in 2010.

You can view on the "Fighting Hunger Together" website what rank your chosen city has. Currently, the top three ranked cities are Fresno, California, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Columbia, South Carolina. The number one ranked city at the end of voting on December 31st will be given $1 million dollars. The next five runners up will each receive $100,000.00 for the local food banks in the area.

Walmart's philanthropy should not go unnoticed. In the past the huge retail store has run multiple programs (scholarships, grant funding, volunteer work) and is known for giving back to the communities which make it thrive. In 2009, the superstore donated 100 million pounds of food to food banks in the United States. Walmart has always been "Fighting Hunger Together", will you join them?


*The Fighting Hunger Together website is no longer available. However, Walmart still has a page on their website called "Fight Hunger Spark Change" that you can check out.

by Linda St Cyr, Contributing Writer

"MORE THAN 50 MILLION AMERICANS STRUGGLE TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE."- Share Our Strength, Hunger Fact-Sheet

Santa is on his way but for many families getting food on their tables is as elusive as seeing Santa climbing down the chimney. Over 44 million homes are considered food insecure. These families rely on school lunches to provide their children with a meal, trips to the local food bank to get a meal on the table, and stretching every dollar for what it's worth. During school breaks the amount of children who go hungry increases because there is no food in the home.

Hunger hurts. Not just emotionally but physically and mentally. According to Share Our Strength, children who go hungry are more likely to become sick (headaches, stomachaches, ear infections), become hospitalized, risk obesity, face behavioral problems, lack focus in school, and struggle with learning.

The number of hungry during the holiday season is only increasing. Island Harvest (a food relief organization in Long Island) spokesman Donald Miller told CNN's Eatocracy about the increase, "Prior to the start of the holiday season – the benchmark would be the number of turkeys requested for Thanksgiving and Christmas and this year, it came in at an astounding 42,000, whereas last year the requests were for about 25,000. We've taken in around 12,000 so far, so we're really behind the eight ball."

17.4 million households in America are food insecure. 4.2 million of those households include children. America is considered one of the fattest nations yet we have millions who cannot afford to put food on the table. It is shocking and sad. There are ways you can help fight against hunger. Visit places like Island Harvest, Share Our Strength, and Feeding America to make a donation. Find a local food bank and donate non-perishables, ask if they are hosting a turkey drive then donate one.

If you are in need of help putting food on your table this holiday season: Please use THIS TOOL to find a local food bank.

by Linda St.Cyr, Contributor

Matt Damon, actor and academy award winner, is trying to make an impact in the war against hunger. He has recently been a part of a public service announcement where he portrays a man named Steve. Steve happens to be a real man with a real family (a wife and two kids) who is facing the realities of being jobless for the past two years. In the short PSA, Matt Damon speaks about the thoughts and feelings that come about from making a trip to the local food bank. "I kept worrying about what the neighbors would think," Damon says calmly while looking like an average man on the street.

Damon then tells the camera, "That was until I saw them there too." A small humorous touch comes when the actor looks away from the camera and asks, "How'd I do, Steve?" and the real Steve Gallagher appears with the answer, "a little stiff" before walking away from the camera together down the street.

The Public Service Announcement is only 31 seconds long but the message is loud and clear. There is no shame in going to the local food bank when you need help. Heidi Arthur, vice president of the Ad Council, spoke with the Minneapolis Foundation to explain the "everyman" campaign PSA's. She says of the project, "The whole strategy of the campaign is to make people aware it is not the stereotype of hunger of the past. It's hard-working people in the community, it's children, it's the working poor. The whole idea is that this is closer than you think. It's 1 in 6 Americans.''

Ben Affleck, friend of Matt Damon and fellow actor, will also be appearing in the "everyman" PSA's

You can view Matt Damon as Steve Gallagher here.

by  Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

On October 23rd, the Lafayette area of Indiana was greeted by a horde of zombies going door to door for Zombaid. These were no ordinary zombies though. They were not out for blood or brains but for boxes of food to give to the Food Finders Food Bank. Approximately 60 zombies staggered together down the streets of downtown Lafayette picking up food donations from the local businesses.

Zombaid organizer, Rob Soden (who was a blood spattered Shaun from Shaun of the Dead), was happy to make the event happen saying, "The folks at Food Finders say one pound of food equals one meal for someone." Lafayette's Zombaid brought in over 700lbs of food for the food bank. The numbers of both zombie participants and donations exceeded expectations according to Soden who helped weigh the food as it was brought in.

It wasn't just adults dressed as zombies either. Both children and pets got involved in Zombaid. You can view a video capture of the Zombies of Zombaid as they went door to door here.

Soden told JConline.com, "It was a sea of people. ... I think word of mouth will spread and it will be bigger next year."

Visit Food-Finders to read more about the Zombaid event and other upcoming events. 

by  Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

September is the month to get involved and feel inspired by joining Hunger Action Month. Feeding America has launched a “30 ways in 30 days” initiative to get people involved in making a difference during hunger awareness month.

September is the month to take action. A good start to taking action this month is by signing the pledge to participated in 30 ways in 30 days at the Hunger Action Month website. Then explore the different ways you can make a difference in the lives of the community around you. Find one way or several ways that you can help feed the hungry during this important month where we fight to stomp out domestic hunger.

A few of the ideas provided by Hunger Action Month include giving to food pantries, setting up a food drive, writing letters to elected officials about the importance of food programs, and making donations to local food bank programs. If you decide to give to food pantries or hold a food drive keep in mind that there are some foods that are more needed than others. Cheeto’s and Dorito’s are nice snacks but feeding the hungry means also providing good nutrition too.

Some of the most needed foods are canned protein’s (tuna fish, salmon, potted meat, chicken), canned fruits in water or light syrup, condiments, whole grain foods (rice, pasta, mac & cheese), 100% juices, dry and canned soups, canned vegetables and multi-grain cereals like Cheerios.

Will you be joining in Hunger Action Month? Leave a comment below and tell us what you will be doing to make a difference and help the fight against domestic hunger.

by  Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

On September 9th, Morgan Stanley launched a new campaign to fight against childhood hunger by partnering with Feeding America. The new campaign is called "Fill the Plate" and targets combating hunger during the weekends and after-school hours when children are most at risk of hunger

The partnership between Morgan Stanley and Feeding America is intended to strengthen and expand Feeding America's BackPack Program. The BackPack Program is designed for children to easily and discreetly give children access to nonperishable, nutritious foods. The backpacks are filled with foods and then distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation from school. According to Feeding America, during the fiscal year of 2009 over 190,000 children were served and over 3.7 million backpacks were distributed because of the backpack program. With the help of Morgan Stanley's "Fill the Plate" campaign, the hope is that the number of packs distributed will increase another 25% with more than 900,000 children being served by the end of 2014.

Morgan Stanley launched "Fill the Plate" on its 75th anniversary renewing their ongoing commitment to children's health issues and community service. President and CEO of Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, said of the partnership,

"Good nutrition is essential for children's success in school and throughout life.We look forward to partnering with Feeding America, an organization that knows how to make a genuine impact in communities across the U.S."

Vicki Escarra, President and CEO of Feeding America, said of the partnership with the leading global financial services firm, "We applaud and welcome Morgan Stanley to the frontline in our continued fight to end hunger within our lifetime."

This is not the first program Morgan Stanley has stood firmly behind. In the past 50 years, The Morgan Stanley Foundation has advocated, campaigned, initiated projects and/or given non-profits grant funding. Some of the projects and non-profits supported by Morgan Stanley include the Global Alliance for Children's Health, the Million Meals Summer Program, Grow Clinics, Mount Sinai Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention Program (SAVI), Renewable Energy Projects, the Carbon Disclosurer Project and Education scholarships, internship and career development.

by  Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

Over the next 3 years, the U.S. will spend $3.5 billion dollars to help developing countries boost food sufficiency. The money will go to providing food sustainability in food-deficient countries with research, technology, farm supplies and access to new trade markets.

U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary, James Miller, said of the global food aid plan, “This is a wide-ranging effort involving multiple U.S. government departments… It looks at long-term mechanisms for resolving food needs, improving living standards and farm incomes.”The departments Miller refers to include the USDA, the U.S. Agency for International Development and non-government agencies in the countries targeted by the plan. 

“Feed the Future”, the food security assistance program, will target countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. President of the United States, Barack Obama, said of the programs goals, "...the United States is leading an effort to reach out to people around the world who are suffering, to provide them immediate assistance and to extend support for food security that will help them lift themselves out of poverty. All of us must join together in this effort, not just because it is right, but because by providing assistance to those countries most in need, we will provide new markets, we will drive the growth of the future that lifts all of us up."

Other countries have joined in the fight against hunger by pledging $18.5 billion dollars in support at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy in 2009. You can see the U.S. plans for implementation of “Feed the Future” FY 2010 in the working documents on the “Feed the Future” official website. Implementation plans are available for East Africa, Ethiopia, Mali, Ghana, Nepal, Guatemala, Nicaragua and many other countries who will be included in the plan for global food security. 

Visit Feed the Future for more information and the ways you can get involved in helping the fight against worldwide hunger.

“The question is not whether we can end hunger, it's whether we will."- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

by Linda St.Cyr, Contributing Writer

July 30th is National Cheesecake Day! The Cheesecake Factory celebrated by unveiling their newest cheesecake, Reese’s (R) Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake, which will support Feeding America. Season 9 American Idol Finalist joined in the unveiling and were proud to help support the nation’s largest hunger relief organization.

Janet Scardino, President of commercial, 19 Entertainment said of the partnership, "In addition to serving great cheesecake, The Cheesecake Factory believes in giving back to their communities. The Idols and I are so passionate about the work that Feeding America does to help feed hungry Americans, and we're thrilled that this new cheesecake will benefit them."

On July 30th, The Cheesecake Factory will be offering its dine-in guests the option to purchase a slice of one of their 30 plus flavored cheesecakes at half-price. Each slice sold will go to benefiting Feeding America. In the past, The Cheesecake Factory has donated over $1.2 million dollars to the organization in an effort to help end hunger.

The Cheesecake Factory will donate the equivalent of 3.5 million meals on National Cheesecake Day through the sale of the newest cheesecake slices. According to Feeding America’s main website, one dollar provides 7 meals for hungry people across the nation.

Feeding America serves over 37 million people a year through food banks and Network programs including Kids Cafe, Disaster Relief, National Produce Program and the BackPack Program. Support Feeding America by heading to The Cheesecake Factory and celebrating National Cheesecake Day. You will be feeding the hungry with each delicious slice.

If cheesecake isn’t an option, you can head go to Feeding America’s website and use the interactive guide to find a food bank near you to donate food goods or you can make a monetary donation. Remember $1 equals 7 meals for those who are hungry.