Title
To recognize September as Hunger Action Month and to express our appreciation to Mid-Ohio Foodbank for their efforts to fight hunger in our communities.
Body
WHEREAS, Hunger Action Month increases awareness of the struggle in our City and urges individuals to take action in their communities by speaking out to mobilize the public in the fight to end hunger; and
WHEREAS, the Mid-Ohio Foodbank encourages everyone in central and eastern Ohio to participate in their 30 ways in 30 days campaign by advocating, volunteering, donating and learning more about how they can make a difference during Hunger Action Month; and
WHEREAS, Mid-Ohio Foodbank distributes food to more than 550 partner agencies including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, after-school programs and senior housing sites in 20 central and eastern Ohio counties; and
WHEREAS, in 2013, Mid-Ohio Foodbank distributed more than 48 million pounds of food and grocery products, enough to provide more than 107,000 meals each day; and
WHEREAS, in Mid-Ohio Foodbank's network of food pantries, 35% of all requests for food are for children and 15% are for seniors; and
WHEREAS, the impact of hunger and poor nutrition resonates across our entire community - children who are hungry struggle to focus at school; limited access to nourishing food increases the risk of obesity and chronic disease like diabetes; and adults who are hungry must make difficult choices between paying for food and other necessities such as medicine, rent and utilities; and
WHEREAS, every $1 donated to Mid-Ohio Foodbank allows for the distribution of $11 worth of food; and
WHEREAS, hunger and poverty are issues of grave concern in the United States, the State of Ohio and the City of Columbus which is committed to taking steps to raise awareness about the need to combat hunger in every part of our City and provide additional resources that the citizens of Columbus need; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus is committed to work with Mid-Ohio Foodbank to educate people about the role and importance of Foodbanks, food pantries and other hunger relief organizations to address hunger and devote more attention to hunger issues; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS
That this Council hereby recognizes September as Hunger Action Month and expresses our appreciation to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank for their efforts to fight hunger in the City of Columbus.