2024 Hunger Action Month
Proclamation
WHEREAS, hunger and poverty are issues of vital concern in California, where one in five Californians face food insecurity on a daily basis and do not know where their next meal will come from; and
WHEREAS, everyone needs nutritious food to thrive, and people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families —yet over 330,000 individuals, including over 85,000 children, here in Orange County are food insecure; and WHEREAS, the City of Garden Grove is committed to taking steps to combat hunger in every part of our community and to provide additional resources that those in Garden Grove need; and
WHEREAS, the City of Garden Grove is committed to working with the Orange County Hunger Alliance in educating people about the role and importance of food banks and food care in addressing hunger and raising awareness of the need to devote more resources and attention to hunger issues; and
WHEREAS, in the first half of 2024, Orange County Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank collectively recorded an average of 806,985 individual food distribution visits per month from our neighbors facing food insecurity; and
WHEREAS, in the first half of 202 4, Orange County Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank have collectively distributed 29,588,278 million pounds of food through its partner network of food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, senior centers, schools, colleges, universities, and other community organizations; and
WHEREAS, Abound Food Care helps to facilitate the recovery over 25 mil lion pounds of excess edible food in Orange county each year, reducing food waste and diverting that food to those who need it; and
WHEREAS, the month of September has been designated “Hunger Action Month” in order to bring attention to food insecurity in our communities and to enlist the public in the movement to end hunger by taking action – including volunteering, donating, and advocating – to ensure every community, and everybody in it, has the food they need to thrive; and WHEREAS, food banks and other organizations across the country, including the members of the Orange County Hunger Alliance, will host numerous events throughout the month of September to bring awareness and help end food insecurity in our local community.
NOW, THEREFORE, WE, the Garden Grove City Council do hereby recognize September 2024 as HUNGER ACTION MONTH in Garden Grove, and call this observance to the attention of our citizens.
August 27, 2024