Maryland Governor Proclaims November 16 - 20 as "Maryland Hunger Awareness Week"
Maryland Hunger Solutions Launches Daily Hunger Fact
This week, November 16 - 20, marks Maryland Hunger Awareness Week. Maryland is home to three of the wealthiest counties in the nation (Howard, Montgomery, and Calvert), but new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that nearly one in ten households in our state faces a constant struggle against hunger. Too many people are forced to make tough choices - should they pay for food or medicine, or should they skip a meal so their children can eat.
It's possible to end hunger. We can do this by connecting children to the federal nutrition programs, like WIC or the new Afterschool Meal Program. We can help more schools offer breakfast in the classroom so more children start the day with a healthy morning meal. And, we can connect more families to the Food Supplement Program so they can afford to purchase food for their households. We can make sure that children are surrounded by access to healthy food.
This week, Maryland Hunger Solutions will launch a daily hunger fact and solution. We encourage you to share this fact with your network, post it on your Web site, or even blog about it.
Together, we can shed a light on the challenges of hunger in our communities and the tools we can use to fight it.
HUNGER FACT #1
Did You Know?
Only thirteen states and the District of Columbia can operate the Afterschool Meal Program, and Maryland is one of them. The Afterschool Meal Program provides nutritional meals to afterschool and youth development programs and schools located in low-income areas. In Maryland, the program began in earnest during this school year and will benefit tens of thousands of children across the state. Take a look at our Afterschool Meal Program information or visit the Maryland State Department of Education site to learn more about the program.
Want to learn more about the federal nutrition programs?
The Governor's Partnership to End Childhood Hunger is sponsoring a conference for the faith community in Prince George's County this Friday, November 20, 2009. This conference will provide information about the federal nutrition programs and how to get involved. For more information about the conference, please contact Valerie Woodward at vwoodward@goc.md.state.us or 410-767-2547.
