Take steps to end local hunger by registering now for the Common Heart Hunger Walk! 

Like so many of her neighbors, especially during this pandemic, “Nancy” had never been to a food pantry before she came to one of Common Heart’s drive-thru pantries last week. Her husband is working but it’s weeks until payday and with three kids at home they’re struggling. 

You can help ensure that neighbors like “Nancy” don’t go hungry by participating in Common Heart’s 4th annual Hunger Walk fundraiser. The event is virtual this year, meaning participants can join in from wherever they’d like anytime on Sunday, March 7. Registration is $25 for adults and $10 for children ages 12 and younger and includes a T-shirt. Participants are encouraged to collect donations from family and friends to help in the effort to feed hungry families. Get all the details and register online: CommonHeartHungerWalk.org. 

“While we can’t gather in-person this year, you can still take steps to end local hunger,” Executive Director Keith Adams said. “The virtual Common Heart Hunger Walk is a great chance to join in solidarity to raise awareness about hunger in our community and raise funds to support our food pantry programs. We’d love to see small groups gather in neighborhoods, parks or churches to walk together outside.”

Due to the pandemic, Common Heart food pantries have seen more than double the number of families seeking help in 2020 than in 2019. In 2020, Common Heart provided 1,046,635 meals to 17,711 people — serving an estimated 51% of the food insecure residents of Union County an average of 3.6 times each.

According to Feeding America, it’s estimated that the number of food insecure residents in Union County rose by 53% in 2020, compared to 2019, to about 35,000 people  — 14.6% of Union County’s population.  

A donation of just $25 to Common Heart provides a week’s worth of groceries for one local family in need. Business sponsorships are also available. For more information, email Kristina.Aquilone@CommonHeart.org.