Every year on the first Friday in September, the National Food Bank Day is honored; this year, that day will be September 2. Since hunger knows no borders, it exists everywhere in the world, from low-income countries to developed ones. However, to ensure that no one goes hungry, some non-profit organizations work to feed the underprivileged using volunteers and charitable donations. Food banks also play a significant role in preventing food waste, so in order to recognize the contribution of food banks and the employees who gave their time for this cause, we annually observe the National Food Bank Day.
| Event | National Food Bank Day |
|---|---|
| Date | September 2, 2022 |
| Day | Friday |
| Significance | Honors the Food Bank and recognizes the volunteers' and charity's contributions |
| Observed by | United States |
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National Food Bank Day 2022: History
The St. Mary's stations were the nation's first food bank established by John Van Hengel, and which first distributed 275,000 pounds of food to people in need. His initiative was to bring change in society and provide a better place for the poor and underprivileged to find food and not go hungry. As the number of food banks increased, Van Hengel launched Second Harvest in 1979, after which it was renamed Feeding America to better reflect its mission.
In the last year, there were 200 food banks across the country. The Feeding America network served 6.6 billion meals last year.
According to the UN World Food Programme's 2019 report, there were 750 million hungry people in the world in 2019. The recent Covid 19 pandemic has made the situation even worse; according to the UN World Food Programme's live Hunger Map, 880 million people in 92 countries lack access to enough food.
Although there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, more than one-third of the food produced for human use is actually wasted. Thus, the job of food banks becomes even more crucial in order to preserve food and distribute it to the appropriate people.
National Food Bank Day 2022: Significance
The day is important for celebrating all charitable organizations and volunteers who work tirelessly to end hunger and ensure that no one goes to bed hungry.
The role and contribution of food banks are crucial because they ensure that food is distributed to those in need and prevent food from going to waste. As a result, food banks play a critical role in fostering food security and safeguarding the environment from the negative effects of food waste.
Here are a few ways or functions that food banks might help end world hunger.
Fill the gap: The food banks are crucial in redistributing food from the surplus source to the hands of the hungry.
Scalable: Food banks can start at the local level in their communities and quickly expand in size in response to demand and available government funding.
Adaptable and non-competitive: Food banks can be used to satisfy the needs of various cultural groups, yet they don't even put up a fight against other food chains.
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National Food Bank Day 2022: Activities
You can participate in a variety of activities to support the national event.
1. Donate to create impact: You can simply contribute some of your income in eliminating the hunger from the nation and the world, be a part of saving the world from the hunger.
2. Raising awareness about the day: is the easiest but most effective approach to encourage young people to volunteer and support organizations that are trying to end hunger. This may be done by simply posting about the day on social media.
3. Increase public knowledge of food donations: Most people are ignorant of this practice, and frequently, at large gatherings or occasions like weddings, extra food simply goes to waste because of this ignorance.
National Food Bank Day 2022: FAQ
1. When is National Food Bank Day in 2022?
This year we will observe National Food Bank Day on September 2nd.
2. What is the significance of National Food Bank Day?
We mark National Food Bank Day every year to recognize the contribution of the Food Bank and to praise the NGOs and volunteers that struggle to eliminate hunger in the country.
3. How can I participate in National Food Bank Day?
You can simply participate in National Food Bank Day by increasing awareness about the day and donating some of your earnings to help end national hunger.