Faith Hope and Love Community (FHL), an Indianapolis non-profit, announced the 15th Annual FHL Week’s theme is Hunger Awareness Week from July 20 to 27. This is the first series of events in Indiana where businesses, churches and local residents will come together to raise more awareness of the food insecurity problem that has been lingering in the state.
Around 1 in 9 Americans suffer from food insecurity, about 42 million. In Indiana, 1 in 6 Hoosiers are food insecure, totaling 910,000. Indianapolis was labeled as one of the largest food deserts in the nation. Food insecurity plus food deserts equal hungry children families and workers.
This has profound effects on both residents’ immediate, as well as state and national health.
Beyond stress and fatigue, serious and long-term health problems have links to food insecurity, even the profitability and security of your business. Type 2 diabetes and heart problems are responsible for thousands of deaths and millions of dollars in medical expenses each year and are also closely linked to food insecurity. The negative health effects reach beyond the walls of hospitals and into schools, neighborhoods, businesses and homes.
Food insecurity has been directly linked to multiple measures of failure in school, from truancy to behavior issues, to grades and test scores. Income plays a major role in food insecurity, 72 percent of the households affected by food insecurity live at or below the federal poverty level with a median annual household income of $9,175. A staggering 29 percent of repeat food pantry clients have full time jobs. A study from Clemson University found that a 1 percent increase in food insecurity led to a startling 12 percent increase on violent crime. These issues are affecting our neighborhoods and our cities.
These are unfortunate statistics that the majority of Hoosiers are not aware of. In an effort to raise the public consciousness about hunger and innovative solutions, FHL is hosting the Hunger Awareness Week in Indiana.
Schedule of Events
- Hunger Walk from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 20 at the Indianapolis Canal starting at Walnut Street basin. Corporations and other organizations are invited to take a part in this hunger walk. State Senator Jim Merritt will be speaking about hunger.
- Prayer Walk on Sunday, July 21. Local churches will do prayer walk for an hour in their own neighborhoods and will start simultaneously at 3 p.m. The Prayer walkers are encouraged to bring canned goods to their local churches to help in raise the hunger awareness and help the local food pantries.
- Hunger (0-0-1) Challenge on Monday through Friday, July 22 to 26. This event is to challenge individuals to experience how it feels to be hungry by eating one meal a day. Each participant is encourage to raise awareness and support the cause of Faith Hope and Love to raise funds in alleviating hunger beyond bags of groceries. At their option, they can join a group of people who will be walking from one food pantry to further experience the plight of some food insecure population. Details of the route will be published on info.
- Hunger Awareness Community Gathering from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27 at 1100 W. 42nd St., Indianapolis. This is open to the families and residents to join in the garage sale, fun things with the kids with former Indianapolis Colts players and delicious food. Contact 317-572-5793 or info@fhlinternational.org for available vendors’ space.
About Faith Hope and Love Community
Faith Hope and Love Community fhlcommunity.org is a catalyst for change by engaging in relationships with food insecure neighbors on their path to self-sufficiency. Poverty creates real challenges for individuals, their families and our communities. Growing numbers of Indianapolis residents are struggling to make enough money to consistently feed and support their families. Despite our community’s heroic efforts, far too many people continue to go hungry and require food assistance. Faith Hope and Love Community is redefining the deeper role of a food pantry in a neighborhood. It’s about people, not just about food.