United Way Celebrates Hunger Action Month

September is Hunger Action Month (HAM), when Feeding America and member food banks, including the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center (Food Center) and Citizens Bank, United Way’s HAM sponsor, ask everyone in America to take action to fight hunger in their community. The Food Center is a program operated by United Way of Southeastern Connecticut.
 
During Hunger Action Month people can get involved by running a food drive, raising awareness, volunteering, making a donation, and wearing orange, the official color of HAM.
 
In New London County, the rate of food insecurity is nearly 13% of the county population, or roughly one in every eight residents. For children in New London County, 18.5%, or nearly one in every five, faces hunger. Seniors also struggle as nearly 6 million senior citizens throughout the country currently face hunger, according to Feeding America.
 
Citizens Bank has given a grant of $10,000 to the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center to sponsor Hunger Action Month. The grant is part of the bank’s year-round effort to end hunger through Citizens Helping Citizens Fight Hunger, a program to help eradicate hunger in the local communities they serve.
 
Citizens Helping Citizens Fight Hunger is core to the bank’s community giving and volunteerism programs, and this year Citizens Bank has donated the equivalent of 3.6 million meals to feed those in need through contributions to local food banks and other food programs.
 
In addition to the $10,000 grant, Citizens Bank employees have volunteered throughout the month of September at the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center warehouse and its Mobile Food Pantry distribution in New London.
 
Learn more about the Food Center’s work in New London County and how you can help fight hunger at uwsect.org/food-center.

ABOUT THE GEMMA E. MORAN UNITED WAY/LABOR FOOD CENTER
Since 1988, the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Center, a program of United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, has played a key role in feeding individuals and families facing hunger in New London County. The Food Center provides food and household items to 85 free emergency food assistance programs including shelters, food pantries, after-school programs, day care centers, community meal sites, and programs for seniors.
 
Last year through its member programs, the Food Center and Mobile Food Pantry, which conducts ten monthly distributions, provided the equivalent of 1.9 million meals and snacks, at no cost to those in need.