2nd annual april food day
It’s a given that today is April Fools’ Day – but I didn’t know it was also April Food Day until I came across the Twitter hashtag. Basically, food bloggers and social media lovers unite every April 1 to promote donating to local food banks and Feeding America. This post may not seem relevant to my usual ramblings about dessert, so hear me out.
I joined the Capital Area Food Bank in the fall because I love food. It’s always on my mind, because I’m obsessed with all aspects of it: eating, writing, cooking and baking. But it began to bother me that a significant portion of our Central Texas population doesn’t have access to food on a regular basis.
So while I’m busy deciding between dark or semisweet chocolate for my brownie recipe, my hungry neighbor is deciding between buying food and paying utilities. In fact, almost half of the families the Food Bank serves had to make this call last year. It’s unacceptable, and it doesn’t have to be this way.
I could rattle off a slew of eye-opening statistics from the Hunger in America 2010: Central Texas Report, but I won’t, because I think the client stories are much more compelling.
Like 59 year-old George Fields. An entrepreneur in the fresh seafood business, George lived on his own in a three-bedroom home until his health forced him to leave the business. He became unable to pay his mounting medical bills and had to sell most of his possessions. George, who’s 6’6″ tall, now lives in his car.
“Several people have told me, ‘I’m one paycheck away from parking next to you,’” George said. “It’s tough out there right now.”
So whether or not you’re a foodie, I’m asking you to consider donating to CAFB today as part of April Food Day. The Food Bank nourished nearly 300,000 Central Texans last year – and it’s time to realize any one of us could have been a part of that statistic.
Note: While I do work at the Capital Area Food Bank, the opinions expressed in the blog do not necessarily represent the beliefs of the organization. This is just my spiel.
