Media Advisory: Wake Forest University alumni fight against childhood hunger
Who: Wake Forest alumni, staff and parents will work at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina to fight childhood hunger in the Winston-Salem community.
When: Saturday, May 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
What: During Pro Humanitate Day (which takes its name from Wake Forest’s motto, meaning “for humanity”), Wake Forest alumni are volunteering in 22 cities across the country (including seven N.C. cities) to address issues of hunger and food insecurity. The Winston-Salem volunteers will collect and sort food.
Those who would like to support Pro Humanitate Day but are unable to participate on May 9 are encouraged to donate to the local food pantry or show support on social media using the hashtag #GoodWearsBlack.
Why: Wake Forest alumni want to make a difference in their communities by addressing hunger issues.
- Nearly 35 percent of households with children in the Winston-Salem metropolitan area said “yes” when asked whether there were times during the course of a year when they did not have enough money to buy food, according to the Food Research and Action Center’s study.
- In 13 of the 43 elementary schools, at least nine out of 10 students are receiving free or reduced-price lunches.
According to the North Carolina Association of Feeding America Food Banks:
- Over one in four children in the state are food insecure.
- The state has several cities with some of the highest levels of food insecurity in the nation: Asheville, Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem.
- Approximately 160,000 different people in North Carolina receive emergency food assistance in any given week. This is equivalent to feeding nearly every resident of Asheville, Chapel Hill and Elizabeth City every week.
- North Carolina ranks in the 10 worst states in the percentage of children under 18 who are lacking food on a regular basis.
- 81 percent of N.C. households receiving food assistance don’t know where their next meal is coming from.
- 36 percent of food pantries in N.C. have had to turn people away for a lack of food to give them.
Note: Wake Forest alumni will also volunteer in Greensboro with the Stamp Out Hunger initiative to sort food donations from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following Post Office locations: 201 N. Murrow Blvd., 1585 Yanceyville St., and 2300 Soabar St.
