Have you joined the fight against hunger? September is Hunger Action Month – a time when Americans join hands with the Feeding America network of food banks to battle hunger and spread awareness. At Blue KC, we’re determined to help by increasing access to nutritious food in underserved areas of the city through our Well Stocked program and a number of partnerships with Kansas City organizations who are also passionate about the cause. Learn about our valued partners, the significance of this important month and the role that the Well Stocked program plays in their initiatives.
After the Harvest
After the Harvest centers their work around three things: nutrition, feeding hungry people and minimizing food waste. With those pillars in mind, they help feed the Greater Kansas City area by partnering with regional farmers to glean produce and rescue truckloads from across the country that would otherwise be wasted. Additionally, they educate others about the importance of proper nutrition, engage the community on the issue of food waste and challenge everyone to waste less. Blue KC’s Well Stocked program supports After the Harvest by providing a large platform for sharing their mission in addition to lending the helping hands of numerous volunteers.
Find out how you can make an effort to give more and waste less while supporting the health of thousands of people in need this Hunger Action Month.
Cultivate KC
Cultivate KC knows that food insecure populations have a greater risk for chronic health issues, which is why they prioritize making high-quality food accessible to all. Through their Double Up Food Bucks and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition programs, Cultivate KC matches spending dollars for people using food assistance benefits, giving them access to affordable, locally grown produce. In partnering with Blue KC, they are able to reach new, interested audiences while enforcing the connection between hunger and health.
Learn more about how this organization is harnessing the power of local organic food to feed the community and environment.
Harvesters—The Community Food Network
Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and northeastern Kansas, Harvesters—The Community Food Network is the region’s Feeding America food bank that proudly provides food and related household products to more than 760 nonprofit agencies. This network provides food assistance to as many as 141,500 different people each month. In this area, 1 in 8 people are food insecure, meaning that they may have a meal today, but are uncertain if their family will eat tomorrow. During Hunger Action Month, Harvesters encourages people to get involved by raising awareness in one of four ways: donating food, volunteering, donating money or by spreading the word, thereby giving a voice to hunger by telling others about the problem. In partnership with Blue KC, Harvesters is working to improve how food insecurity is addressed at a systematic level.
Learn more about how this organization is striving to feed the hungry today and end hunger tomorrow.
Johnson County Community College
Education is a powerful tool that has the ability to transform lives and strengthen communities. At Johnson County Community College (JCCC), it is their mission to help students achieve success in the classroom and meet their educational goals, as well as excel in their personal endeavors. JCCC is proud to offer community and campus support to their student body, providing access to their MealShare program, an on-campus food pantry, mental health counseling and more. During Hunger Action Month, JCCC focuses on creating awareness around the resources available for students who are facing hunger and food-insecurity.
Through their partnership with Blue KC, Johnson County Community College is growing their MealShare program, helping to successfully keep students fed, healthy and productive.
Kansas City Community Gardens
The work done by Kansas City Community Gardens (KCCG) is driven by one simple, yet unsettling, statistic: more than 350,000 people in Kansas City don’t have enough to eat. This is why, for over 35 years, KCCG has remained dedicated to increasing food access, reducing hunger and promoting healthy eating by empowering families to grow their own fresh produce.
KCCG views Hunger Action Month as a time of celebration, when gardens across the city are ripe with fresh fruits and vegetables, which local gardeners have worked diligently to care for in support of their families, neighbors and local food pantries. Through this initiative, they will put healthy, fresh foods within the reach of more than 32,000 households this year.
Together with Blue KC’s Well Stocked program, KCCG strives to make a positive, lasting difference in the health and well-being of the Kansas City community.
West Central Missouri Community Action Agency
How much positive change would we see in our community if everyone had adequate access to resources? The team at West Central Missouri Community Action Agency (WCMCAA) strives to empower people in our area by acting as the voice for those in need. Through this initiative, the organization successfully helps to provide energy assistance, housing opportunities, weatherization, employment and training, in-home services, food assistance, life skills, and more. Their Food System Program, in partnership with Blue KC’s Well Stocked program, is working to reduce food insecurity in the region and encourage forward thinking in relation to the food insecurity crisis. During Hunger Action Month, WCMCAA hopes to shed light on this issue so that they can continue to connect, cultivate, and catalyze growth in our rural communities.
This September, join Blue KC and our diverse local partners in the fight against hunger to help improve the lives of many people in need. Visit BlueKC.com/WellStocked for more information.