Snapshot of Hunger

September is national Hunger Action Month, and Feeding Illinois has created a campaign to help us better understand why so many Illinois families struggle with hunger.

Imagine a family of four with a working parent and another parent who was recently laid off yet receives unemployment. This family brings home (after taxes) approximately $1,696 per month. After paying the bills, this family has approximately $110 left to purchase all food and household necessities for an entire week--that's $28/person per week or $4/person per day.

But sometimes even our words cannot fully express what people in our communities must suffer through. Sometimes seeing is believing. That's why we're asking YOU to participate in the Feeding Illinois Snapshot of Hunger challenge.

Here's how you can participate:

• Fill a cart with $28 worth of grocery items during the week of Sept. 14-20.
• Take a photo of your cart. Feel free to get creative!
• Share your photo with Feeding Illinois. You can share your photo by emailing it to snapshot@feedingillinois.org. When emailing, please include your First Name, City in the subject section.
• For other ways to help like making a donation or volunteering, please visit Feeding Illinois.

This is a photo that I recently took after a trip to the supermarket. It cost $28.22.

It's not much. It'll probably last a few days, tops, and I usually don't eat breakfast. Plus, it's not exactly a balanced diet, and it doesn't include any household necessities like soap, detergent, etc.

It is no myth that families in our area simply can't afford even the most basic of human necessities. This month, we at the Eastern Illinois Foodbank call you to action. We are calling on you to participate by taking a photo and sharing it. We believe that by seeing for yourself, you will gain a better idea of what many folks in our area are going through in these trying times.