Brunswick County 4-H’ers to collect food to help community

One of the short-term goals for 4-H’ers in all 100 North Carolina counties is to conduct canned-food drives during national 4-H week, the first week in October. Brunswick County 4-H is doing that by collecting items at the Cooperative Extension office and schools.

On Oct. 4, a representative from Brunswick Family Assistance will speak to youth at the 4-H office and collect the food they have gathered so far. 

Nutritious food is good medicine. Food is a basic need. Along with oxygen, water, and shelter, it is necessary for human survival. In a nation as affluent as the United States, no child should go hungry. Yet every day hunger disrupts the lives of 1 in 5 children in North Carolina.

Hunger is a problem hiding “in plain sight” in North Carolina. Whether it involves skipping meals, eating less than is needed to live a healthy life, or making do with foods that are filling but not nutritious, hunger’s effects can be devastating, especially among our more vulnerable citizens, including children and older adults.

According to an analysis by Feeding America, a hunger relief organization with which the food banks are affiliated, North Carolina ranks as the second-worst state in the nation when it comes to children under 5 lacking regular access to nutritious food and as 10th-worst for children of all ages.

To combat hunger, the NC 4-H Youth Development program and the Food Banks of North Carolina, all of which are affiliates of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, have teamed up to promote awareness of hunger in North Carolina and to make an impact in local communities through a new hunger awareness initiative entitled “Hungry to Help.”

According to Dr. Marshall Stewart, state 4-H leader, “Cooperative Extension offices across the state will become ‘drop-off’ locations for can food collections and the entire Extension family is gearing up to prepare participants to be citizen leaders for hunger relief.” 4-H recognizes that knowledge and understanding are powerful tools in the battle to end hunger, and that food insecurity undermines our nation’s investments in education and health care.

To learn more about the Brunswick County 4-H program or their Hungry to Help community service project, contact Blair Green, 4-H extension agent, at blair_wooten@ncsu.edu or Leslie Kammer, 4-H program assistant, at leslie_wilson@ncsu.edu or call the Cooperative Extension office at 253-2610. Visit its website at http://brunswickco4h.shutterfly.com/ or blog at http://brunswick4h.wordpress.com/.