This week The Salvation Army is working to spread awareness of the solvable problem of hunger.
September 18 - 22 is Hunger Awareness Week. This is a national campaign by Food Banks Canada to shed light on a very real, but often-invisible issue of hunger.
“It spreads awareness of who actually goes hungry, it’s not just the homeless,” explains Jenessa McAuley, Community and Family Services worker at The Salvation Army in Drumheller. “How people can help and share facts is really important, and we are looking for participation.”
She says there is a wide cross-section of users of The Salvation Army’s food bank and services.
“I always say that poverty doesn’t discriminate, so we have children, families, seniors ,people with disabilities,” she said. “So this week is about getting out the message that these are people who use the food bank and experience hunger”.
To mark the week McAuley says they are holding some events to raise awareness. On Monday, they had a display at The Salvation Army Thrift Store and there are some awareness activities today (Wednesday, September 20) at Sally’s Social Café over the lunch hour at the Knox United Church.
On Friday, September 22, they are encouraging people to skip a meal and then donate the equivalent to the food bank.
For more on Hunger Awareness Week activities, go to www.drumsa.org.
