It’s Hunger Action Month in Shreveport – What Can You Do to Help Our Local Food Bank?

September is Hunger Action Month in Shreveport, and the Food Bank of Northwest Louisiana is encouraging you to do your part to end the local hunger problem. The Food Bank's Kendall Smith says there are many ways you can do that.

"You can have a food drive, you can participate in our virtual food drive, you can Go Orange for Hunger [today], you can like us on Facebook and Twitter, you can volunteer at the Food Bank," Smith says. "There are lots of ways you can help us."

Smith tells KEEL News that one in every six people right here in our area are food insecure. And one out of every five is a child. She says those are startling statistics.

"People don't realize, especially the kids. They really struggle, especially in the summertime, when they don't get a free breakfast or lunch," says Smith. "People are really shocked by the statistics. But it's real." She says the Food Bank has a backpack program for food insecure children, where they provide meals and snacks for families that can't afford them.

Making a monetary donation is the best way to help, because those dollars go a long way. Smith says for every dollar donated, the Food Bank can buy up to ten pounds of food. One more way you can make a difference is by attending the Cook Out for a Cause. That's going on from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on September 12th -- at Community Trust Bank on Fern Avenue. You can get a hamburger, chips, a cookie and a drink for just $5. All the proceeds go to the Food Bank.