September is Hunger Action Month
Every September the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance joins the six Feeding America food banks in Arkansas and hunger relief groups across the country to raise awareness about and take action against hunger.
How can you help? We’ve got ideas.
Watch & share our documentary. This summer, Alliance Intern and filmmaker Natalie Shalin produced a moving 30-minute documentary about our SNAP team. Learn more about Parker, Cathy, and Valentina and their important work at the Alliance!
Donate to the Alliance. We need help providing resources and support to hunger relief organizations across the state. We can’t do it alone! Donate to pledge your support during Hunger Action Month and help further our vision to create a hunger-free Arkansas!
Attend our Hunger Action Breakfast! At the Alliance, Hunger Action Month means it’s time for our annual Hunger Action Breakfast. Every year we honor the important work of others in our field with our Acting Out Against Hunger Awards. Show your support for this year’s honorees by attending on Thursday, September 21. To see a full list of this year’s Acting Out Against Hunger honorees, CLICK HERE. Want to purchase a ticket to Hunger Action Breakfast? CLICK HERE.
Volunteer at Hunger Action Breakfast. We would love your help at Hunger Action Breakfast on Thursday, September 21. We need assistance: setting up, serving breakfast, and cleaning up. Volunteers need to report to the Junior League Building at 401 South Scott Street in Little Rock at 7:00 a.m. We will be finished by 10:00 a.m. CLICK HERE to sign up to volunteer.
Take the SNAP Challenge. Take the SNAP Challenge during Hunger Action Month and post it on your social networks with the hashtag #ARSNAPCHallenge23. If you don’t know about it, the SNAP Challenge is an activity designed to raise awareness about how difficult it is to eat on the $4 per day, per person benefit provided under the USDA Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Last month, one of our volunteers, Katrina, took the SNAP Challenge and documented her experiences on her Instagram account. With her permission, we are sharing her posts on our blog. CLICK HERE to learn more about Katrina’s SNAP Challenge.
Attend the Food Desert Summit on Wednesday, September 13. Addressing Food Access in Arkansas: Solutions to Food Desert highlights leaders from around the region who are successfully tackling the issue of food accessibility in their communities. Speakers from Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Oklahoma are featured, and the keynote address is by Jimmy Wright, owner of the first Independent Grocery in the U.S. to accept SNAP benefits online. A limited number of $10,000 planning grants will be awarded to qualified communities attending the summit. The Summit is sponsored by: The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, ADH-Arkansas Minority Health Commission, City of Little Rock, and Hope Credit Union Hope Enterprise Corporation, and Hope Policy Institute. Learn more and purchase tickets at this link: www.ArHungerAlliance.org/FoodDesert
Become a member of the Alliance. The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance has more than 500 member organizations, agencies, and individuals from around the state. Join others from around the state and stay up to date about hunger-related issues. CLICK HERE to join. Take a moment to check out the member directory: https://bit.ly/AllianceMembers23
Take a Grocery Store Tour! Our Cooking Matters team has organized TWO grocery store tours for Hunger Action Month! If you miss the first one on Friday, September 8 when we tour the new Edward’s Cash Saver at 6420 Colonel Glenn Road, join us the following week on Friday, September 15 at Edward’s Food Giant, 7525 Baseline Road.
Eat The Mighty Peach! Thanks to the amazing support of Kevin Shalin, known for his food blog, The Mighty Rib, we once again have the pleasure of eating ice cream for a cause. Last year, we were thrilled to learn about his collaboration with Loblolly Creamery. They’ve partnered again this year and are offering the special “The Mighty Peach” ice cream flavor through September. The best part? A portion of each sale benefits the Alliance! Loblolly Scoop Shops are located at 1423 Main Street in Little Rock and 115 North Market Street in Benton, open seven days a week at Noon.
Read a book. We asked our CEO Kathy Webb for some Hunger Action Month reading suggestions. We’ll be sharing these on our social media through the month. CLICK HERE for Kathy’s Hunger Action Month recommended reading.
Follow and share our socials. We’re on all the socials! Do you follow us? Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIN, YouTube. What did we miss? If you already follow us, ask your friends to follow us, too!
Learn about hunger in Arkansas. Our national partner Feeding America provides in-depth data about food insecurity through their Map the Meal Gap study. Learn more about what hunger looks like in your community. Follow this link for an interactive map and other local hunger statistics. https://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2021/overall/arkansas
Try a Cooking Matters Recipe! This month, we’re featuring Cooking Matters recipes our “Chef Liam” has selected. Keep an eye on our social media or take a look at his entire Hunger Action Month recipe collection on our blog: Hunger Action Recipes | Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (arhungeralliance.org)
Go Orange for Hunger Action Month. Did you know? Orange is the color of hunger relief! Put on your brightest orange shirt, pants or accessories for Hunger Action Month and share a photo of yourself on social media. Tell others about the fight to end hunger using the hashtags #ARHungerActionMonth and #EndHungerNow.
Learn about the Charitable Food Network. Donating your time at your local food bank, food pantry, hunger garden, or any hunger relief organization enables you to have a peek at how the Charitable Food Network operates. In 2022, Arkansas’s six Feeding America food banks distributed 92,787,913 pounds of food through the charitable food network. Visit our website to find your nearest food bank.
Sign up for our Alliance Alert. Are you on our list? If not, CLICK HERE to sign up to receive our quarterly emails featuring Alliance news, volunteer opportunities and more!
Learn about College Hunger. College hunger is an issue facing too many Arkansas students and we are in the middle of planning the next Arkansas College Hunger Summit on October 11, so we know a lot. What do you know about college hunger? Learn more HERE and HERE and more HERE. Oh, here’s MORE. Another way to learn more firsthand is to host a food drive for your local college campus pantry. Many campus pantries are small, and your help can make a difference. Reach out to your campus pantry for a list of their most needed items and ask your friends and coworkers to help! Follow this link for a list of campus pantries in Arkansas and what they need: https://adhe.edu/resources/campus-food-pantry-wishlists
Try Cooking with Liam! Designed specifically for Hunger Action Month, join Liam via Zoom in his kitchen as he shares how to create one of his favorite Cooking Matters recipes. CLICK HERE to register!
Volunteer at the Alliance. We offer a variety of volunteer experiences! Twice a year we host harvesting events, Watermelon Crawl in summer and Turnip for Hunger in the winter. Next month, we’re working with Love, Tito’s to install a garden. Would you like to help? Sign up to receive email volunteer opportunities with the Alliance.
Delve in SB477. Last year legislation passed in a bi-partisan effort to help students who qualify for reduced-price meals at school. As a result, 49,000 Arkansas students are now eligible for free breakfast and lunch! How does it work? Dive into the legislation then read our blog entry about what this means for Arkansas students and schools: Why More Arkansas Students Enjoy School Meals at No Cost this Fall | Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance (arhungeralliance.org)
Learn about how SNAP helps families and towns. SNAP generates business for retailers of all types and sizes—big-box superstores and major national grocery chains as well as small specialty stores, convenience stores, and farmers markets. In Arkansas, SNAP participation generated approximately $1.49 billion in economic impact. With SNAP benefits, participants don’t have to choose between buying food or other needs such as buying gas, paying bills, and purchasing school supplies. The best part? Participating in the SNAP program positively affects the health and well-being of Arkansas families and children.
Write a letter. Contact your congressman and ask them to back the Farm Bill. Nutrition programs like SNAP are supported entirely by funding approved through the Farm Bill. Follow this link to find how to contact Arkansas’s Congressional Delegation: https://arhungeralliance.org/get-involved/advocate/.
Donate livestock! The Arkansas Beef Project, a program from the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance in partnership with the Arkansas Cattlemen’s Association and Farmers Feeding the World, offers cattle ranchers an opportunity to provide a much-needed source of protein to Arkansas food banks. Cattle ranchers and other protein producers, such as lamb and pork, can donate to the Arkansas Beef Project. Learn more at our website.
Become a Monthly Donor. When you become a monthly donor with the Alliance, your generosity supports the work we do daily, whether it’s taking a SNAP application or providing Cooking Matters recipe cards to a class of college students. We thank you for joining us in our vision to create a hunger-free Arkansas. Donate at this link: https://bit.ly/MonthlyDonor23
Set up a Facebook fundraiser on your birthday. It’s easy! Follow the Facebook prompts to support a cause for your birthday, and type in Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance in the search bar.
Set your Kroger Rewards to support the Alliance. Did you know you can support the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance every time you go Krogering? Kroger’s Community Rewards program allows you to link your Kroger Shopper’s Card to a digital account on the Kroger app and select the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance. Step by step details are on our website under Other Ways to Give.
Support our partner restaurants! We are so thankful for the support from our local restaurant community who donate their time and talent for our annual fundraiser Serving Up Solutions. Please take time this month to visit Trio’s Restaurant in Little Rock, Brood & Barley in North Little Rock, Cypress Social in Maumelle, or Patticakes Bakery in Conway this month and tell them your friends at the Alliance sent you! Join us on Friday, October 6, as The Fold celebrates 10 years in business—a portion of the proceeds benefit the Alliance!
Shop at J. McLaughin on September 26 & 27! There are so many opportunities to support our efforts to create a hunger-free Arkansas. How about shopping? On Tuesday and Wednesday, September 26-27, at J. McLaughlin, 15% of sales benefit the Alliance! Located at 5919 Kavanaugh Boulevard, the shop is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Donate $49. Last year legislation passed in a bi-partisan effort to help students who qualify for reduced-price meals at school. As a result, 49,000 Arkansas students are now eligible for free breakfast and lunch! Celebrate this success and donate $49 to the Alliance to help us continue our work for Arkansas students.
Become an Alliance Advocate. The Alliance is committed to protecting and promoting access to federal nutrition programs like SNAP, National School Breakfast and Lunch, and Out of School Meals. You can help by joining our network of advocates. Sign up to receive our Advocacy Alerts! Click here: https://bit.ly/AdvocacyAlerts23