News & Events

Hunger Action Month Hunger Action Month (September) is a nationwide awareness campaign spearheaded by the Feeding America network of food banks, and is designed to mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger. This annual month-long campaign brings attention to the reality of food insecurity in the United States, which requires greater urgency this year due to the challenges of the pandemic. In Foodlink’s 10-county service area, food insecurity is projected to rise 45 percent due to the impact of the Conronavirus on households across our region. Statistics showed a steady decline in food insecurity through 2018 (the most recent data available), when approximately 135,000 people lived in food-insecure households across Foodlink’s service area. Now, that number has risen to nearly 200,000. This month, we raise our voice to ensure that no child, adult or senior goes to sleep on an empty stomach. Here are several ways YOU can get involved! Advocate. Act. Educate. Donate. There are many ways you can help Foodlink better serve our neighbors in need during Hunger Action Month:

Advocate/Educate. We’ll be posting a series of Zoom interviews our Advocacy Working Group is hosting to discuss root causes of hunger with local community leaders. Be on the lookout for videos this month about employment/wages, housing, racism and health care … and learn ways you can be an advocate for change.



Are you familiar with our Advocacy Agenda?



Act. (Volunteer / Wear Orange). Sign up for a volunteer shift!



Donate. Make a monetary donation in support of our mission! We appreciate your support!

There are many ways you can help Foodlink better serve our neighbors in need during Hunger Action Month:

Fill the Bus The 2020 Fill the Bus campaign is cancelled this year. We hope to see you again in 2021! Foodlink, Wegmans Food Markets, Fidelis Care, and our media sponsors at 13WHAM ABC, WUHF Fox Rochester, and CW Rochester traditionally team up for the “Fill the Bus” food drive to benefit our BackPack program, which alleviates child hunger on weekends and school breaks. Each Friday or before a holiday, a child who is at risk of food insecurity is given a bag in their backpack filled with enough healthy, kid-friendly meals to last all weekend. Children who are properly nourished are more attentive in class, can concentrate better on exams, and have a better chance of graduating. Foodlink operates the BackPack program at more than 80 area schools, and reached more than 3,000 children during the 2019-20 school year. Throughout Foodlink’s 10-county service area, more than 45,000 kids are considered food-inscure. During our 2019 Fill the Bus campaign, we were able to collect more than 430,000 pounds of food! During the upcoming 2019 campaign, shoppers can visit their local Wegmans and purchase bags of kid-friendly food ranging from $3 to $10 filled with the most-needed items. All donations stay in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region. The Rochester community has responded graciously to this annual campaign. Since 2013, approximately 1.6 million pounds of food have been collected for the BackPack Program! Learn more about ways to support the BackPack program. Year ………. Pounds 2013 ………. 50,410 2014 ………. 138,637 2015 ………. 197,852 2016 ………. 247,883 2017 ………. 305,073 2018 ………. 286,311 2019 ……….. 432,416 Total ………. 1,226,166



Check Out Hunger Check Out Hunger is a point-of-sale campaign at local partnering grocers — held twice annually at participating stores. Every time you are grocery shopping, say ‘YES’ when your cashier asks if you would like to Check Out Hunger! The money raised from this campaign directly supports Foodlink programs that help end hunger and build healthier communities. *** Fall 2020 Wegmans Food Markets holds its Check Out Hunger campaign each fall, and the dollars raised through the generous support of shoppers goes a long way toward helping Foodlink operate numerous anti-hunger programs. The 2020 campaign is scheduled for Oct. 18 through Nov. 28. The 2019 campaign raised a total of $699,375! During Check Out Hunger, Wegmans cashiers ask shoppers if they would like to donate $2, $3 or $5 to Foodlink. Shoppers can also choose to round up their grocery bill, or donate whatever amount they choose. Funding from Check Out Hunger enables Foodlink to distribute over 18 million pounds of food each year to its local network of hundreds of member organizations throughout our 10-county service area. These community partners include hot meal programs, shelters, and food pantries that are working on the front lines of hunger every day. Winter 2020 Tops Friendly Markets and other local grocers hold their Check Out Hunger campaign with Foodlink and other regional food banks every winter. The 2020-21 dates have yet to be announced. More than 150 Tops markets across New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont participated in Check Out Hunger, which has raised nearly $4 million since 2006. Foodlink and eight other food banks benefit from the campaign. Other grocers that also participated this year include: Lori’s Natural Foods, Perry Market Place, Breen’s Shop ‘n Save (Williamson), Breen’s Market (Palmyra), Caledonia Marketplace, and Gates Big M.

Food for Families We’re excited to once again partner with Tops Friendly Markets, WROC-TV, Citizens Bank & WCMF Radio for the annual Food for Families campaign this year! The main Food for Families event is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2019. Last year, we were able to collect more than 88,000 pounds of food to help our neighbors in need. The event also raised more than $35,000. Combined, we were able to provide more than 180,000 meals! The campaign features “Little Brown Bags of Hope,” which are available for purchase at Tops locations starting on Nov. 24. Shoppers have the option of purchasing a bag for $5, $10 or $20 (breakfast, lunch or dinner) at the register when they check out, or donate any food or money they wish. On Dec. 13, Tops will host an all-day celebration that will be broadcast live by WROC-TV and on WCMF Radio at two Tops locations in Greece (3507 Mt. Read Blvd.) and Henrietta (1225 Jefferson Road). ANCHOR CHALLENGE: Support the sunrise and evening news teams at News 8 as they compete to see which group can raise the most funds for Foodlink! Thank you to everyone who has stopped by in the past to support our efforts. We hope to see you again this year!

Forks & Skis Forks and Skis, presented by Delta Air Lines, is an annual event for anyone interested in hitting the slopes while helping Foodlink fulfill its mission of ending hunger and building healthier communities. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED US FOR OUR 2020 EVENT! The event, held at Hunt Hollow Ski Club in Naples, includes a day of skiing, lunch, Après Ski, live musical entertainment and multiple raffle items! Thank you to Delta Air Lines for supporting this great event! EVENT PAGE: Forks & Skis 2020 The event was previously named the Muxy Ski-Off in honor of the late Gary Muxworthy, a sports enthusiast who devoted much of his life to raising money for charities through exciting sporting events. Please check out the Forks & Skis Facebook page with a gallery of photos from past events. For further information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, contact: Jeffrey Fleming, Events & Marketing Coordinator

jfleming@foodlinkny.org or 585-413-4072 Non-sponsorship ticket prices: $100 – Skier (if you DON’T already own a Hunt Hollow pass)

$50 – Skier (if you DO already own a Hunt Hollow pass)

$50 – Non-skier Tickets include: Lift Pass at Hunt Hollow Ski Club

Lunch

Admission in to the NASTAR Open Timing Race (optional)

One free drink at our Apres Ski party! The Apres Ski party will feature a cash bar, awards presentation for the ‘Dash for Cash’, and live entertainment.