Second Harvest to hold Hunger Action Day

Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio is urging everyone in the community to wear orange Sept. 13 for Hunger Action Day.

The event is the kick-off for Hunger Action Month which seeks to raise awareness about food insecurity and is celebrated by food banks from across the country, according to Juliana Chase-Morefield, executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio.

“We’re encouraging people to take big and small steps to help recognize the issue, but also to help figure ways they can help alleviate it in their neighborhood and in their community,” Chase-Morefield said.

Besides dressing in orange, community members can take part by posting local hunger statistics on social media, volunteering at a food bank and sharing information learned while doing so on social media, and by purchasing a ticket and attending the food bank’s Generous Helpings event at 5 p.m., Sept. 30, at 5510 Baumhart Road in Lorain, according to the Second Harvest website.

Chase-Morefield said in previous years, different organizations showed support through diverse ways.

“Turn the city hall orange, some people will have their whole staff wear orange, but trying to think of ways to do that,” she said.

Second Harvest staff gathers for a group photo bedecked in their orange each year on Hunger Action Day, Chase-Morefield said.

“Just try to have fun with it a little bit,” she said.

Orange isn’t a color a lot of people wear, unless they’re at a Browns game, Chase-Morefield said with a laugh.

The organization also urges everyone to call 888398-8702 on Sept. 13 to urge U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to support a farm bill that protects federal nutrition programs and other programs to help those facing hunger in America.

“We’re encouraging people to make phone calls on Hunger Action Day to remind the farm bill conferees from Ohio how important the bill is to the people that we serve, and how important the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is to low-income families,” she said.