Advocate

What does it mean to be a hunger relief advocate?
Advocacy can include activities on many levels that draw attention to the issue of hunger and unite our supporters in their efforts to fight hunger. Advocacy activities can include taking action to influence public policy, coordinating efforts in local communities, and educating government officials, the public, and the media on hunger in America.

Communicating Directly with Elected Officials
Elected officials are very concerned about the issues that affect voters. Thus citizens can have a lot of power in influencing policy and legislation.

Government leaders have the power to determine the legislative and regulatory response to hunger—how funds are allocated and distributed to various hunger relief programs and how those programs are administered. Only the government has the reach and resources to address the problem of hunger on a national scale, so many of our advocacy efforts are directed toward influencing the development of hunger-related policies. As a citizen, you have the right to participate in this process, and we work to keep you informed and make it easy for you to communicate with your public officials directly when the opportunity arises.

Raising Awareness and Generating Action in Local Communities
Another important aspect of advocacy is local community awareness and action. It is at the local level that most of the actual fight against hunger happens. When local community advocates work together, they are able to promote change in their communities and help their neighbors who are struggling with hunger. These efforts can cover a broad spectrum; below are just a few examples:

    •Attending a town hall meeting and asking questions about your leaders’ and community members’ response to the problem of hunger;
    •Organizing a food drive through your school, church, or other community organization;
    •Recruiting volunteers to help out at your local food bank;
    •Writing a letter to the editor of your local newspaper about legislation like Child Nutrition Reauthorization and encouraging others in your community to learn more and speak out;
    •Working with local businesses in your area to become sponsors of your local food bank and publicize hunger relief efforts to their employees and customers;
    •Hosting a neighborhood meeting to introduce your community to Feeding America and encourage them to get involved with the Hunger Relief Action Center.
Through the Hunger Action Center and other online tools like Facebook and Twitter, you can also take action within our online community of hunger relief advocates. The online community already offers and will continue to expand the opportunities and tools available to help you raise awareness in the online space. Many actions you can take online—sharing information about Feeding America on your Facebook page, Tweeting about a volunteer project at your food bank, and so on—can mirror and help promote what you are doing in your neighborhood.

Educating Government Leaders, the Public, and the Media
A third key aspect of advocacy is education—educating government officials, the public, and the media about hunger. Most Americans, including our government leaders, don’t realize how widespread, and growing, the problem of hunger is in our country. Because America is a land of plenty, they think there is always enough food to go around. What they might not understand is that the problem in America isn’t a lack of food. The problem is that many children and families in economic distress do not have access to that food. In our local communities and through the Hunger Action Center, we can use advocacy tools to educate government officials, the media, and the public, and encourage all Americans to join us in our efforts to end hunger.

Advocate for our hungry neighbors and join Second Harvest North Central Food Bank in our mission of engaging the community to end hunger. For more information on how you can help click here.