Every June we celebrate Coverstore’s anniversary. This year, we decided to pay it forward to our community by donating 5% of our sales from 6/20/19 – 6/24/19 to those facing food insecurity. Located in Carrollton, Texas, we naturally turned to the North Texas Food Bank, part of Feeding America’s network.
Why hunger, and why now?
Hunger affects millions of people in the United States, and can have lasting effects on child development and overall health. At Coverstore, we believe in protecting what you love. This extends beyond our own families and into our community overall.
Hunger and food insecurity plague children, families, and seniors year-round. However, food banks receive most of their donations during the holiday season. When summer hits, food banks face declining food and monetary donations, while the number of children and families in need increases.
Millions of children depend on free or reduced-price breakfast and/or lunch at their school. When school is out, these kids no longer have access to this, resulting in more stress on food-insecure families.
What is food insecurity?
Feeding America describes food insecurity as “…a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy lifestyle.” Food insecurity is present in all types of households, including working families, retired seniors, and single parent homes.
Food insecurity may not affect a family for long periods of time. Job loss, medical bills, and housing expenses can force families into food insecurity, leading quickly to persistent hunger. These families often don’t qualify for federal assistance, making local food banks and charitable organizations even more important.
Hunger in the United States
According to a study done by Feeding America, 40 million people in the U.S. face hunger and food insecurity. This includes over 12 million children.
22 million kids depend on free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch at school, but during the summer only 3.76 million have access to it.
Children who consistently miss meals are more likely to develop chronic health conditions, have more social and behavioral problems, experience developmental delays, and repeat a grade in school.
Learn more about food insecurity in your area with Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap tool.
How You Can Help
Donate
Food banks see donations decline after the holidays are over, leaving summer one of the times they are most in need. Host a canned food drive for your organization, school, or company to help children, families, and seniors receive nutritious meals.
$1 goes a long way; NTFB can provide 3 meals for each dollar donated. Consider setting up a recurring monthly donation to a local or nationwide hunger relief organization to provide help year-round.
Volunteer
Volunteering isn't just for Thanksgiving Day. Find time to volunteer throughout the year with family, friends, and through work.
Advocate
Let government officials know that hunger in your community is unacceptable. Learn about food and hunger relief policies on a county, state, and federal level. Contact your representatives, register to vote, and spread awareness.
About the North Texas Food Bank
Founded in 1982, the North Texas Food Bank provides over 190,000 meals every day to children, families, and seniors. With a 10-year plan to provide access to 92 million by 2025, NTFB is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity in Texas.
NTFB is a member of Feeding America, one of the nation’s leading hunger relief organizations. They serve 13 counties across North Texas, providing nutritious meals to over 800,000 people in need, 300,000 of those being children.
From 6/20/19 – 6/24/19, we will be donating 5% of our sales to help fight food insecurity. The Coverstore team volunteered at one of the North Texas Food Bank's community gardens, and we've also been running a canned food drive throughout June. We encourage you to find a local food bank to donate and volunteer.
All nationwide hunger statistics are provided by Feeding America. All Texas hunger statistics are provided by the North Texas Food Bank.
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