Last week I shared Unilever Project Sunlight latest initiative, which focuses around ending child hunger in the US. As part of the post I shared their latest short documentary, titled Going to Bed Hungry: The Changing Face of Child Hunger. (Watch it, it’s only 4 minutes long and really important to see what’s happening in our own country — Click HERE to see the video).
I’m still having trouble digesting that 16 million children struggling with hunger in the US alone – that’s the
population of Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Chicago combined. And I want to encourage everyone to do something about that. Which is why, I’m joining Unilever Project Sunlight to help rally people across the country to “Share A Meal to Help Turn the Tables on Child Hunger in America”.
My mom’s in town from Boston, and this morning we joined the Community Kitchen in West Harlem to help prepare a dinner for up to 500 New Yorkers. We signed up through http://volunteer.foodbanknyc.org – which I takes less then a minute to do and they offer loads of volunteer opportunities all over the country.
The Community Kitchen in West Harlem support the homeless and low-income families that need their help and their full-service soup kitchen and food pantry provides more than 50,000 free means a month! It was really inspiring to be apart of such an incredible community and group of volunteers there.
There are loads of ways you can make a difference, I encourage you all to get creative on how to “Share A Meal” in your community. If you need any suggestions Unilever Project Sunlight has a Share a Meal Toolkit on their website that offers great ways to make a difference which includes:
– Share A Meal Potluck – Host neighboring families for a dinner and invite a family in need to join
– Get Your Community Involved – Partner with a local community organization to host community potluck in your area
– Local Food Drives – Organize your very own food drive or utilize the Feeding America online Food Bank Locator tool to get in touch with a local food and volunteer at a food drive
– Host a Virtual Food Drive – Plan a virtual food drive with measurable goals online using the Feeding America Personal Fundraiser tool and promote participation in your community
I hope this inspires you to join this initiative and cook for your community or grab a group of friends to volunteer!
To download their Share A Meal Toolkit and learn more about child hunger in the U.S., and how you can make a difference visit projectsunlight.us. Join the conversation using the hashtag #ShareAMeal
{Disclaimer: While this post is part of a sponsored campaign by Unilever Project Sunlight, all opinions and experiences expressed are entirely my own.}