In honor of MLK a food drive supported FeedingAmerica Monday, Jan. 16, to help educate parents and children participating in Roanoke’s Indoor Soccer League about hunger in SWVA. Current rates across SW Virginia are that 1 in 8 people face hunger. And it’s higher among children—1 in 5 kids go hungry. Childhood hunger often contributes to long term development and learning delays.
The Star City Challenge Feeding SWVA was created by Freeda Cathcart eight years ago when she answered President Obama’s call to service on the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr.’s day.
“I was an indoor soccer coach at the time, states Freeda Cathcart. I asked the Roanoke City Parks and Recreation Department if I could collect food to take to Feeding America SWVA at the indoor soccer games on that weekend. They said yes and it continues to this day.”
This is the last time President Obama will be in office for MLK weekend but Cathcart is going to work to keep the tradition of service on MLK weekend going by holding annual food drives.
People in our region are suffering from hunger. People are encouraged to think about how their civic leagues, churches, book clubs and other groups can help collect food to take to the food bank. Cathcart says, “There are many creative ways that people can collect food. One of my friends sends out a Facebook appeal to the people who live near her. She gives them a day when her family will drive around to pick up food for the food bank. She tells them to contact her if they want to set out a bag of food in front of their home for them to pick up. Then she takes the food to the food bank.”
If you missed today’s food drive then you can bring food to next Saturday’s event on January 21 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Eureka Park Recreation Center 1529 Carroll Ave., NW Roanoke. Bring any non-perishable food and drop them in the Feeding America box inside the front door. Especially needed are: canned goods-meat, meals (ravioli…), fruits, and vegetables.
Every donated $1 provides 7 meals for the hungry through the food bank’s distribution network.
