Take the Hunger Challenge

September is Hunger Action Month, and we'd like you to get you involved! As you know, Food Outreach provides critical nutrition services to people living with HIV/AIDS or Cancer, and we are using this Hunger Challenge to help raise awareness about hunger issues and, in particular, the unique nutrition needs of our clients. Food Outreach can provide the equivalent of up to two meals a day, each day, to our clients at no charge, but any additional food items must be purchased by the client themselves. Many rely on the SNAP/Food Stamp program to secure these items (SNAP stands for “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program”).

Hunger Challenge Goals:

· Raise awareness about general food insecurity

· Raise funds to support Food Outreach programs

· Educate people about the specific nutrition needs facing individuals battling a life-threatening illness

PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS:

As a participant we ask you to do the following:

· Take the hunger challenge

· Spread the word about Hunger Action Month and the Hunger Challenge by posting on FB, twitter, sending emails and blogging

· Raise funds or host a canned drive for Food Outreach. You will find a sample message in this packet you can share with potential supporters

What is the challenge?

We ask hunger challenge participants to limit their Challenge Week Food Intake to the items that can be purchased based on the guidelines provided below. You will not be issued Food Stamps, but will be asked to limit your food purchases based on the dollar equivalent of a 7-day weekly allotment of stamps (roughly $29). We base the Hunger Challenge on the guidelines provided by the USDA Food Stamp/SNAP program. This is how we determine what dollar total to use for the challenge week. Based on the most recent Missouri SNAP guidelines, we ask you to limit your food purchases to the equivalent of $29 for the seven day duration of the challenge. This is the Missouri statewide average per person. As a participant, you can buy any food item except alcohol, pet food, or heated foods. Additional prohibited items include soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, tobacco, or anything else that is not food.

I hope you'll help us spread the word about hunger this September!

Don't forget to visit the awesome new site created by Spoke Marketing pro bono: http://hungerchallengestl.org/