Hunger Action day brings awareness to community-wide hunger

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- 

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana is taking part in Hunger Action Day to help fight hunger locally. 

In St. Joseph County about 39,300 people are food insecure. Those individuals don't know where their next meal is coming from. 

One volunteer at the Food Bank has dealt with the issue firsthand. Rudy Miller has been volunteering at the Food Bank for about two and a half years. He's lived in South Bend his whole life. 

"Going through the pantry you see a lot of people come in, and a lot of different people come in each month that I go through. You can tell that there is a need for it here in the county. I don't know if people are notified enough about the programs that are run here at the food bank," said Miller. 

He didn't realize he was eligible for the Food Bank's programs until after he started working there. Now he says the pantry takes care of about one-third of his grocery bill. 

"Especially the way food prices are," Miller said. "Especially with the way the fruits and vegetables have been skyrocketing. And some of the meat items too have been increasing, so that helps out with the monthly budget you know to help things moving along."

Orange is the symbolic color for hunger awareness. To celebrate Hunger Action Day, Central Park Bridge will be lit up orange and the fountain outside Morris Performing Arts Center will be dyed orange. 

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana is encouraging the community to take photos at those two locations and post them to social media with the hashtag #HungerActionMonth. 

The Food Bank is also encouraging the community to wear orange, volunteer at the Food Bank, or host a donation drive. 

Throughout the month of September South Bend Brew Werks will also brew a special Hunger Action Brown Ale. Each ale purchased will provide a donation to the Food Bank. 

To learn more about how hunger affects Michiana, click here.