Make National Hunger Awareness Day (June 2): National Hunger Action Day

In a country as wealthy and as advanced as Canada it is hard to imagine
there are people who do not have enough to eat. But hunger is a serious
issue in Canada. In fact, individuals and families in almost every
community across Canada are living with hunger.

In 2008, more than 700,000 Canadians were assisted by community food banks
each month and more than a third of those who received assistance were
children.* Although you may not realize it, people you see on the bus, at
the library or in town are faced everyday with tough choices such as
whether to pay the rent or buy groceries.

"National Hunger Awareness Day is an important opportunity for food banks
to raise awareness of the problem of hunger in their own community," said
Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "To many
community residents the issue of hunger is often invisible so we want to
remind Canadians that there are those living close to home that are
struggling."

This year, in honour of National Hunger Awareness Day on June 2, and to
ensure community food banks can keep their shelves stocked all summer,
Food Banks Canada is calling on Canadians to take a simple action to help
reduce hunger in their communities. Food Banks Canada is asking all
Canadians to make a small monetary donation to their local food banks
during the Kraft Hunger Challenge. From June 2-12 Kraft Canada will match
donations made to food banks across Canada dollar-for-dollar up to a
national total of $150,000. All monies raised through the Kraft Hunger
Challenge will be distributed to local food banks so they can buy much
needed food supplies for Canadians in need.

Traditionally, the summer is a particularly challenging period for
community food banks as many people become preoccupied with their holidays
and forget to donate. On average, food banks only receive a very small
portion of their annual donations during the summer months. Donations made
during the Kraft Hunger Challenge go a long way towards helping
individuals in need in your community. With the current economic climate,
community food banks are bracing for even greater stress than normal on
their food supply this summer.

Donations for local food banks during the Kraft Hunger Challenge can be
made in four ways. You can drop off a donation at your local food bank;
visit www.foodbankscanada.ca; contact Food Banks Canada toll free at
1-877-535-0958; or mail in a donation to Food Banks Canada c/o Kraft
Hunger Challenge, 2968 Dundas Street West, Suite 303, Toronto, Ontario M6P
1Y8. A tax receipt will be issued for all donations over $10.

*Source: HungerCount 2008, Food Banks Canada. For the complete 2008
HungerCount report please go to:
http://foodbankscanada.ca /documents/HungerCount-en-fin.pdf