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Health & Fitness

Out Of The Bag: Hunger Means One Jar of Peanut Butter Every Other Month

Pittsburgh Food Pantries - one jar of peanut butter every other month. What would you do?

The goal of Hunger Action Month is to raise awareness about the very real harsh realities of hunger in our communities - and to inspire you, yes you, to take some action. That could be clicking a link to be more informed, organizing a tote and food drive at work or even having a conversation with your own family about the issue in an age-appropriate way.

The basic facts:

  • 1 in 7 people in Pennsylvania are food insecure. 
  • 1 in 5 children in the US are food insecure.
  • More than 140,000 people access food programs every month (in a 12 county area) and that only represents 35% of those who are eligible.

The very harsh reality is that there are people in our neighborhoods who are hungry today - they aren't sure that they'll have dinner or enough dinner or dinner for everyone in the household. 

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This past weekend, some troubling realities made the news.

  • Washington County food pantries have cut back to 1 jar of peanut butter every other month. Peanut butter is a staple item because it has so much protein and children can make their own meal. The cost of peanut soared last year after a poor crop. Have you noticed a price increase?
  • Westmoreland County Food Bank reduced food in their packages by 10% during August and September. This translates into 1 package of dry pasta and 1 jar of pasta sauce instead of two of each. That's one to two meals. What would you if you lost 10% of your food staples this month? 
  • Earlier in the summer, North Hills Community Outreach posted the photo showing peanut butter shelves down to a few jars. The twitter post generated some immediate donations, but this photo mirror other food pantries around the region.
  • can of tuna fish is a luxury at food pantries. It was once the backbone donation. Now ... 

Earlier in the month, the US Census data on poverty during 2011 was released and it was a mixed bag. While the number of people living in poverty hasn’t increased, poor families have not rebounded from the depression/recession years as quickly as middle class families who themselves are not exactly bouncing upward. It is also a little troubling that as unemployment is improving, poor families are not improving their overall economic situation. 

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Times are tough and as we’ve mentioned, funding for various human services programs has been cut especially in the Pennsylvania State budget. Hunger is a reality for our neighbors, our friends perhaps even our own families over the coming months and year. 

The good news is that there are concrete ways you can help. 

  • Organize a food and tote drive. We have the "How To" info available. Remember that every gently used tote you collect saves the food pantry precious money that they can use to buy food instead of bags. 
  • Advocate through Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's website. Let your elected officials know that hunger is a priority and weigh in on crucial legislation like the Farm Bill and funding for the State Food Purchase Program. 
  • Social media - follow @Tote4Pgh@PghFoodBank @WestmorelandFB@Just Harvest to stay in touch with the latest news and information about hunger in the 12 county region of Southwestern PA. See if your local food pantry is on Twitter - leave us a comment if they are! 

Upcoming Hunger Action Month events & activities for your family

  1. Park(ing) Day Pittsburgh - Friday Sept 21 945 Liberty Avenue (in front of The Toonseum) in the Cultural District 9-3 - explore the irony of so many parking spaces, so few grocery stores in our urban environments and help us expand the concept of "greening" to include reusable tote bags. 
  2. Pgh Mini Maker's Faire -Saturday Sept 22, Children's Museum on the Northside. Learn how we can make and remake our items to preserve our resources and think outside of the bag.
  3. Art Harvest Fall Festival - Sunday September 23, East End Food Cooperative in Point Breeze. Every tote purchased ($1) will be matched by a $.50 donation from the Coop. Enjoy arts, crafts, music, food and more.
  4. Hunger Action Happy Hour - Thursday September 27, The Toonseum from 5-7:30. Admission is a tote with food. Enjoy a limited bar courtesy of Clique Vodka and Bocktown Beer, a traditional Pittsburgh cookie table and check out the Batman exhibit. 
  5. Food Truck Friday Tote Bag Drive - Friday September 28, Bar Marco in the Strip District from 11-3. Enjoy the best of Pittsburgh's Food Trucks - Oh My Grill, Franktuary and more. With a donation of a tote bag, you'll receive discounts and incentives as well as a chance to win a gift card for the Dozen Dessert Truck.
  6. WYEP Tote Drive - Friday September 28, Schenley Plaza in Oakland. Join WYEP for their free Friday concert series and bring a tote bag to be entered in a cool contest. 
  7. Allegheny County Green Festival - Saturday September 29, Hartwood Acres. A family fun event with exhibits, activiteis and information. 10-4.

 

We'll be collecting food and totes at all of these events. As always, The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project encourages you to think outside of the bag - maybe get creative with collecting peanut butter (Six Sensational Ways to Incorporate Peanut Butter Into a Meal) or create family project (Opportunities for Children and Families to Volunteer.)

Hunger impacts every Patch community in the United States. The statistics may vary a bit, but the fundamental challenges and solutions remain the same - our neighbors are hungry and we have the tools to help. 

The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project collects new and gently used tote bags for distribution to the region's food pantries. For more information, visit us online at www.tote4pgh.com.

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