ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Since 1989, September has been recognized as Hunger Awareness Month. A time when people across the country come together to raise awareness and take action against hunger and food insecurity.
Local organizations like the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, are stepping up to ensure that those struggling to to put food on the table can get the support they need. Their goal is to provide nutritious, healthy meals for people and families in need.
"Everybody here at the food bank, all of our partners, work so hard all year long to eliminate hunger and food insecurity throughout a community," says the President of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier Mark Bordeau. "This is a special month to educate the rest of the community who might not be aware that hunger is everywhere in the community. It's in your schools, it's in your grocery stores and this is a special time to make folks aware and for a call to action, to say whatever you can do to help, especially during this month."
Millions of families across the U.S. and here in the Southern Tier struggle to put food on the table. According to Feeding America, more people are turning to federal; assistance programs and local food banks for support.
"New data just came out over the last two weeks that one in seven people in the Southern Tier are food insecure and one in five children in the southern tier are food insecure right now," says Bordeau. "It's tremendously high."
Food insecurity has grown, especially among children. Data from the Food Bank of the Southern Tier shows a 5% increase in child food insecurity in just one year. Hunger Awareness Month serves as a reminder that food insecurity affects people in every corner of the region, and bringing attention to the issue is the first step toward solving it.
“At the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, we are experiencing record requests for food across our six-county service region, which mirrors the national and state level data,” explains Bordeau,
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier reports this met 1.63 million requests for food in 2023. So far in 2024, the food bank reports they have surpassed one million requests.
According to the Food Bank of the Southern Tier's website, it costs $30 to provide one month of meals, $60 to fill 10 bags of groceries, and $120 to provide 40 backpacks full of food to people in need.
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier serves six counties: Broome, Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins.
Volunteering, giving, and hosting a food drive are some ways people can help. More information is available by clicking here and selecting the option you're interested in.
The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is open Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are located at 388 Upper Oakwood Avenue, Elmira, N.Y. 14903