Thousands in Vt. Still Are Hungry

On June 5, central Vermont citizens joined millions of Americans nationwide in observing Hunger Awareness Day to heighten public awareness of the more than 35 million people in the United States who are living on the brink of hunger.

The face of hunger will surprise you. Hunger affects working families who are forced to make choices between food and basic necessities like heat, medicine or rent. It strikes people with sudden illness or a new responsibility to care for additional family members. It does not discriminate against age, race, gender or ethnicity.

Here in Vermont, 140,000 Vermonters use the charitable food system at some point in the year. In simple terms, this means that one in five Vermonters will experience hunger and need assistance in accessing emergency food. Last year, Central Vermont Community Action Council served 1,943 different households through our food shelves alone and provided the equivalent of more than 40,000 meals to family members.

In the coming weeks, I urge Vermonters to contact the Vermont Foodbank in Barre (www.vtfoodbank.org) and local agencies, such as the Central Vermont Community Action Council at 479-1053, to find out how to join the fight against hunger in central Vermont. Hunger has been a silent epidemic for too long. It's time to step up and put an end to hunger in America.

We cannot do this alone. We need your help. The more people who become aware of hunger and take action by supporting organizations assisting foodinsecure families in Vermont, the more hungry people we can serve.

Together, we can and will create a hunger-free Vermont.

Carol Flint Director, CVCAC Family and Community Support Services