Actions to combat hunger set this month

From staff reports
Published: September 12, 2008

This month, the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank Network, which covers Central Virginia, is participating in the first nationwide Hunger Action Month.

The month will feature activites, events and fundraisers to help the hungry. Those set for this area include a talk about ways to cook well on a budget and two days to gather food donations to fill a truck.
“You’ll be hard pressed to find a community in the United States that is immune to hunger,” Martin L. White, the Blue Ridge network CEO, said in a news release.

“More than 129,000 people in our network are at risk of hunger.”

Hunger Action Month is organized on a national level by Feeding America, and includes food drives, concerts, volunteer outings and other efforts.

The events set for greater Lynchburg include Budget Cooking 101. The class, scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Jubilee Center in Lynchburg, will offer tips on healthy eating on a budget made leaner by higher food and fuel costs. Registration is required: call (540) 248-3663.

Another event is called “Fill the Truck,” a two-day effort to get food donations that will be used to fill a truck with 50,000 pounds of food. Those who want to participate can drop off donated food items at any State Farm Insurance agent’s office this month, or at the Food Lion on Graves Mill Road from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 26 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 27.