Hunger in America: Here’s What You Can Do to Help

Sixteen million American children face hunger each day, according to the non-profit organization Feeding America. This equates to one out of every five children in the country. With the holiday season in full swing, many Americans are eager to do what they can to help people in need.

If you’d like to help relieve hunger in America, a good first step is to check with your credit union. Many CUs participate in community efforts to relieve hunger.

For instance, Members of Alaska USA Federal Credit Union have contributed more than $66,000 to support community food banks in Alaska, Washington and the high desert region in California. Your CU might be doing something similar.

If you want to participate in a national effort at relieving hunger, Feeding America offers you several ways to get involved:

The simplest way to help Feeding America is to make a donation. The organization said that every $1 you give to Feeding America buys 10 meals for needy people. This means that a $25 donation provides 250 meals. You can give one time, or on a sustaining basis.

You can also team with Feeding America to launch a Virtual Food Drive, and use email and social media to ask your friends to take part.

Feeding America can also connect you with Volunteer Efforts across the country. The organization said its network feeds over 46.5 million people each year. Feeding America said that there are as many different volunteer opportunities during the holiday season, but that hunger needs to be addressed on a year-round basis.

So, there are ways for you to make a difference with money, social networking – or just donating your time to a worthy cause. You can reach Feeding America at www.feedingamerica.org.