Houston Food Bank Hosting 9/11 Day Of Remembrance

Press release from Houston Food Bank:

Sept. 11, 2020

Each year, Houston Food Bank holds a 9/11 Day of Remembrance. This year they will be working with 9/11 Tomorrow Together to participate in a virtual day of service. There will be opportunities to fundraise virtually and do a virtual food drive. Also, for those who would like to do a hands-on volunteer session in memory of 9/11, the food bank has volunteer shifts in the Portwall warehouse, Keegan Kitchen and North Branch warehouse from 8 am to noon, 1-4 pm and 6-9 pm. To sign up for a volunteer shift, visit www.houstonfoodbank.org.volunt...

The goal of 9/11 Day At Home is to inspire more than one million “virtual” acts of service, expressions of kindness, or simple good deeds in observance of this year’s 9/11 Day, the federally-recognized September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.

You can play an important role in making that happen – by leveraging 9/11 Day At Home to promote your own list of virtual service activities to your community.

Help us generate more than one million self-directed acts of service and good deeds on Friday, September 11, 2020, to help those in need, especially those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These impactful good deeds are easy for you to do individually or with your family and friends right at home.

To make a Virtual Food Drive Donation: http://hfb.convio.net/site/Ecommerce?store_id=3045

To make an online gift in honor of 9/11 Day At Home:

https://app.mobilecause.com/e/YcIDkg?vid=baen3 or text 911Day to 41444

9/11 Day At Home is being organized in partnership with World Central Kitchen, Corporation for National & Community Service, and Points of Light.

Among the groups who have signed up to volunteer on 9/11:

8am to noon (Portwall) Kitchell Contractors

1-4 pm (Portwall) Engineers Without Borders - U of H

1-4 pm (Portwall) Houston Methodist Hospital

September is Hunger Action Month!

On any given day, 1.1 million people in southeast Texas are food-insecure, meaning they cannot afford enough nutritious food to fuel a regularly healthy lifestyle. With the pandemic, that number increased. Through its network of more than 1,500 community partners, the Houston Food Bank leads the fight against hunger by providing food for better lives across its 18-county coverage area in southeast Texas. But the food bank doesn’t do it alone – they rely on the help and action of others to complete their mission.

To bring awareness to the important issue of hunger, the Houston Food Bank and hunger relief agencies across the country have designated September as Hunger Action Month. There are always several events/activities during the month to encourage people to take action during Hunger Action Month. Some upcoming events are:

The Future of Food Banking: Addressing the Root Causes of Food Insecurity – a virtual Town Hall hosted by Houston Food Bank – Thursday, September 17 at noon CST

Houston Food Bank President/CEO Brian Greene will share HFB’s exciting new vision of “a world that doesn’t need food banks” in a virtual town hall which is open to the public. Greene will be joined by members of the food bank’s advocacy team who will talk about opportunities for civic engagement and policy change in the upcoming Texas State Legislature.

Additional participants: Katherine Byers, Ph.D. Government Relations Officer; and Marissa Gorena, Special Projects Coordinator

Policies that will be addressed in the town hall:

• Improving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) access for vulnerable populations such as those aged 60 and older as well as college students.
• Protecting critical Surplus Agricultural Grant funding that supports farmers and helps food banks and non-profits feed the community.
• Increasing the participation of childcare centers in the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program by reducing duplicative program requirements; allowing centers to reinvest the savings.
• Ensuring all children, through the National School Lunch and Summer Food Service Programs, have access to nutritious food when they don’t have equitable access to school or other congregate environments.
• There will be a Q&A session.

To register for this free event, go to https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAsdeiqpzkrEtD3JWCLlvTYGRpHLW3H2qkq

This press release was produced by Houston Food Bank. The views expressed here are the author's own.