Celebrate Hunger Action Day with The Food Bank and Atlantic Station

From the Wilbert Group:

Under a bold new brand image and 10-year strategic plan, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Atlantic Station are teaming up for Hunger Action Day on Sept. 8 to combat hunger and raise awareness about food insecurity in metro Atlanta. This lunchtime event invites guests to sample free chef tastings, support the fight against hunger, enjoy live music and more.

From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Food Bank will take over Atlantic Station’s Central Park with live music, engaging experiences, an exclusive tasting from Chef Shaun Doty of Chick-a-Biddy, special bites prepared by Meehan’s Public House and samplings from the Food Bank’s Nourishing Nook. All tastings will incorporate orange ingredients and guests are encouraged to wear orange, the official color of hunger awareness. In addition, Atlantic Station and the Food Bank invite guests to learn about food insecurity, donate with the Food Bank’s “Bring A Lunch, Give A Lunch” program and interact with the “Walk the Wall” installation.

The “Bring A Lunch, Give A Lunch” program offers guests the opportunity to donate lunch(es) to someone in need in their community. Food Bank volunteers will be on property with iPads, ready to assist guests with donations. The “Walk the Wall” installation is an engaging experience for guests to read and share stories of hunger and food insecurity. Hunger Action Day at Atlantic Station comes as part of the larger, month-long Hunger Action Month campaign promoted by Feeding America and member food banks such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The lunchtime event is sponsored by Publix.

“Atlantic Station is excited to work with the Atlanta Community Food Bank for Hunger Action Month again this year,” said Daniel Easton, director of marketing at Atlantic Station. “This event is a great way for the community to come together, celebrate good food and ‘Go Orange’ to raise awareness in the fight against hunger.”

The Food Bank continues to see unprecedented levels of hunger in the Atlanta community. Over the last year, the Food Bank saw a nearly 13 percent increase in food distribution across the metro Atlanta region. More than 900,000 people across the Food Bank’s 29-county service area face hunger, including families, seniors and children. And, in Georgia, one in four children face hunger.

As part of a new 10-year strategic plan, the Food Bank will dramatically increase the total number of nutritious meals it distributes to the community to 130 million meals per year by 2025, or 130 percent. That includes 50 million pounds of fresh produce a year. The plan also calls for the Food Bank to significantly increase the impact of programs and policies that help stabilize the lives of those facing hunger.

“Our bold new plan will significantly improve access to nutritious food across the Food Bank's service area, but, as always, we need our community’s support in the fight against hunger," said Kyle Waide, President and CEO of Atlanta Community Food Bank. “We’re thankful to have the Atlantic Station team as a partner, which allows us to create fun and interactive opportunities for people to learn about food insecurity in our community.”

In addition to the events on Sept. 8, Atlantic Station will spotlight Hunger Action Month by exchanging the traditional lighting in Central Park with orange bulbs for hunger awareness. Atlantic Station will also host the following activations during its last Signature Events of the year:

• Tot Spot, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to noon: Parents and caregivers are encouraged to bring their tots to Tot Spot at Atlantic Station, a free morning of games, playtime, storytelling and more. Guests who bring a can of food for donation will receive an orange balloon.
• Wellness Wednesday, Sept. 28, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.: Guests are invited to find their zen at Atlantic Station’s WellnessWednesday, a free yoga in the park event series. The first ten guests to donate a can of food will receive a free yoga mat.
• Friday Night Live, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.: Come enjoy music with a fun, Spanish flare as Havana Son performs live in Central Park. The first ten guests to donate a can of food will receive a $10 gift card to Rosa Mexicano.

For more information about ACFB, visit www.acfb.org.

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