One in six Southwest Florida children experience hunger affecting quality of life

For more than 40 years, Harry Chapin Food Bank has led the fight against hunger in Southwest Florida, working tirelessly to ensure children, families and seniors throughout the region have reliable access to healthy food.

During that time, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of community members struggling with food insecurity. Last year alone, more than one in eight Southwest Floridians, including one in six children, experienced hunger that impacted their quality of life. And the heartbreaking reality is these numbers continue to rise.

In recognition of Hunger Action Month, Harry Chapin Food Bank is calling on community members to do their part in ending hunger in Southwest Florida. From monetary donations to volunteering your time, everyone has a role to play in this fight.

Established in 2008 by Feeding America, Hunger Action Month takes place each September, raising awareness about hunger in America and inspiring action. This annual recognition sheds light on the more than 44 million people, including 13 million children, who are food insecure in the United States.

This year’s theme – “no one should have to go hungry” – is at the core of Harry Chapin Food Bank’s daily mission. Every action, big or small, is one step closer to a community where no one is hungry.

We know food insecurity affects every corner of Southwest Florida, beyond simply rural communities. In 2023, nearly 16% of children in Collier County, often considered an affluent coastal community, struggled with hunger, while nearly 18% of Lee County children and 20% of Charlotte County children were impacted.

Food shouldn’t be an impossible choice. Yet, for so many, a daily meal isn’t a choice between different dishes, but a choice between food and other crucial needs such as medicine, electricity or childcare. We serve communities where no grocery store exists, where individuals must choose between housing and food, and where no school means no food for countless families.

Limited access to healthy and nutritious food can have a longstanding effect on individuals, especially on children. Hunger can negatively impact a child’s health, development and well-being, leading to increased medical issues, poor academic performance and delayed developmental milestones.

Understanding that food plays an important role in a child’s development, we have taken steps to ensure that children throughout our community have access to healthy and nutritious foods. This includes operating in-school pantries, making healthy food accessible, convenient and comfortable to students and their families.

Our Fresh Force Mobile Market, a one-aisle mobile grocery store, also provides healthy, fresh food and a dignified “shopping experience” to those in need who may not have access to affordable food options.

Additionally, our Harry’s Helpings program offers food kits at a variety of educational and community facilities throughout the region. Each kit is filled with enough nutritious food for 15 meals, ensuring families have healthy options at mealtimes. This program currently operates out of 10 sites in Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, and provided more than 142,000 meals to families in 2022.

This Hunger Action Month, consider how you can make a difference to ensure our community is fed, futures are nourished, and we can all reach our full potential. From hosting a food drive to volunteering at a packing event, Harry Chapin Food Bank offers a variety of ways to support our mission to end hunger.

To join Harry Chapin Food Bank in its fight against hunger, visit harrychapinfoodbank.org.

Richard LeBer is the president and CEO of the Harry Chapin Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in Southwest Florida.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: One in six Southwest Florida children experience hunger affecting quality of life