Miami, Sept. 9, 2021 – Miami Dade College (MDC) will illuminate its National Historic Landmark Freedom Tower orange at sunset Friday, Sept. 17, in support of Hunger Action Day, one of several activities organized by Feeding South Florida as part of Hunger Action Month.
In South Florida, one in nine individuals – nearly 200,000 of whom are children – do not know from where their next meal will come from. Hunger Action Month is a nationwide initiative created 14 years ago by Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with a network of 200 food banks, like Feeding South Florida, the second largest food bank in the country. The event takes place in September with the goal of raising awareness and inspiring action to address the issue of hunger in America.
This year’s campaign “Food Shouldn’t Be an Impossible Choice” highlights the difficult choices that millions of Americans must make between food and other basic needs and how food insecurity permeates key aspects of life. In South Florida, 66% of food insecure families had to choose between food or medical care, 69% between food or utilities, 67% between food or transportation, 57% between food or housing and 31% between food or education.
During this month, South Floridians can get involved by learning, committing, and advocating about ways to ending hunger and engaging in specific activities like donating or starting a food drive; arranging a volunteer day or raising awareness on social media with #GOORANGE. To learn more about how to take action visit https://feedingsouthflorida.org/hunger-action-month/.
Feeding South Florida is a member of the Feeding America network of food banks and the leading domestic hunger-relief organization serving Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe Counties. Providing support for 25 percent of the state’s food insecure population, its mission is to end hunger in South Florida by providing immediate access to nutritious food, leading hunger and poverty advocacy efforts, and transforming lives through innovative programming and education. In addition to innovative programs that address the root cause of hunger and help break the cycle of hunger and poverty, Feeding South Florida distributed over 176 million pounds of food (147.5 million meals) in 2020, to over one million individuals through direct- service programs and a local network of nearly 500 nonprofit and community partners.
WHAT: MDC to Illuminate Freedom Tower Orange for Hunger Action Day
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 17, at sunset
WHERE: MDC’s Freedom Tower, 600 Biscayne Blvd.
For more information, please contact Sari Vatske at svatske@feedingsouthflorida.org.