New Initiative Highlights Plight of Children Living With Hunger
A Part of the U-Pack A BackPack “Haul Across America”
CHICAGO --- March 5, 2008 ---First-hand accounts of the daily struggles of children living with hunger in America will be highlighted today in Washington, D.C. A few of the stories – provided by food banks and hunger relief organizations as a part of the “Haul Across America” tour being conducted by ABF U-Pack Moving – will be presented by U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln at a Capitol Hill ceremony on Wednesday.
A part of the U-Pack A BackPack initiative, the “Haul Across America” tour is helping to raise awareness of child hunger through the words and stories of those who are involved in the effort to feed hungry children and families on a daily basis.
One of the more shocking stories details the situation of 7-year-old Meghan, who hid food from her drug-addicted stepfather under her bed. She would then wait until the early morning hours, when everyone was asleep, to wake her 4-year-old brother to share the food with him.
Another story focuses on a first-grader who discussed the word “favorite” as part of a class discussion. When his teacher asked him to write a sentence using the word, the student wrote, “For my sister and me, our favorite day of the week is Friday.” When he was asked why, he responded, “Because we get to take home food so we will not be hungry.” The siblings were participating in their school’s local BackPack program, which provides at-risk children with a backpack full of healthy foods and snacks every Friday afternoon.
Also included is the story of a disabled veteran who relies on a local after-school program to help feed the two young grandsons and high-school aged granddaughter he’s raising. “I knew I didn’t have the money, on my disability income, to feed them,” he said before receiving help.
The stories can be accessed online at www.u-pack.com/press.
“This collection of stories provides a vivid look at the face of hunger in America today. They humanize the bleak statistic that 35 million Americans do not always know where they will find their next meal,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network. “The U-Pack A BackPack initiative demonstrates the urgent need to help feed the hungry, and reminds us that every contribution to us is significant.”
Created through a partnership between America’s Second Harvest and ABF U-Pack Moving, the
U-Pack A BackPack initiative is raising funds to fight child hunger through a virtual food drive.
Heading into March, the initiative had reached the halfway point of its goal to raise enough funds to provide one million pounds of food. The next three months are crucial to reaching that goal as the U-Pack A BackPack initiative will continue only through the current school year – wrapping up on June 1, 2008.
At www.U-PackaBackPack.org, potential donors can learn more about the program and donate directly to local America’s Second Harvest food banks through the initiative.
Donations will be tracked by zip code to ensure that all contributions stay in the community from which they were made. All local donations will help local America’s Second Harvest food banks and food-rescue organizations feed local children and their families in their communities.
The U-Pack A BackPack initiative will continue through the current school year – wrapping up on June 1, 2008.
America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the country with more than 200 Member food banks and food-rescue organizations serving all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The Network supports approximately 50,000 local charitable agencies operating more than 90,000 programs including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs and Kids Cafes. Last year they provided food assistance to more than 25 million people in the United States. For more on the America’s Second Harvest Network, please visit www.secondharvest.org.
ABF U-Pack Moving is an affordable, convenient residential moving solution. For a typical U-Pack® move, ABF® delivers a 28-foot trailer or ReloCube™ to the customer’s home. The customer has three business days to load. Then ABF drives and delivers the trailer or ReloCube to the destination, where the customer has three business days to unload. Customers can obtain moving quotes, make reservations, and track their goods online at www.upack.com. In operation since 1923, ABF Freight System, Inc.® is one of North America’s oldest and most reputable motor carriers.
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Contact:
Amy Patton
U-Pack
479-785-8738
Ross Fraser
America’s Second Harvest
312-641-6422
