Gainesville food bank to commemorate Hunger Awareness Month

In Alachua County, about one in every four children don’t have reliable access to food.

On Thursday, a Gainesville-based food bank will highlight its feeding efforts in Alachua county and across North Florida in observation of Hunger Awareness Month.

Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, in partnership with Feeding America, will host a Hunger Action Day event at the food bank, located at 352 NW 10th Ave.

“We’re trying to get more people to see who we are,” said Loretta Griffis, the director of community outreach, “so many people are blown away by how much we do.”

The event, which will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., will invite participants to tour the food bank and ask questions about food insecurity and efforts to combat it in Alachua County.

Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe will proclaim Sept. 15 Hunger Action Day, which Griffis hopes will mobilize more residents to get involved.

Last year, the food bank distributed 7.2 million pounds of food in five counties, including Alachua, Dixie, Gilchrist, Lafayette and Levy Counties, she said.

But despite its best efforts, the number of hungry people the food bank sees every day has increased in recent months, Griffis said.

At UF, students and faculty members are not immune to the struggle of food insecurity, she said.

The on-campus Field and Fork Pantry, which offers free non-perishable food to anyone with a Gator 1 Card, receives major donations from the food bank.

Julissa Rodriguez, an 18-year-old UF exploratory freshman, said it is important for students to learn about the hunger issue spreading through the city and UF campus. She said if more students knew that some of their peers may be struggling to feed themselves, they may feel compelled to get involved.

“Being more aware grounds us and helps us to be more active members of the community,” Rodriguez said.

Bread of the Mighty Food Bank, 352 NW 10th Ave.

Gainesville Community Ministry, 238 SW Fourth Ave.

Field and Fork Food Pantry, 520 Newell Dr.

Gainesville Harvest, 904 NW Fourth St.

Catholic Charities Bureau, 1701 NE Ninth St.