The Food Bank of South Jersey (FBSJ), the area’s largest emergency food provider headquartered here in Pennsauken, announced a series of local fund and food raising events in support of Hunger Action Month – a nationwide, month-long campaign that raises awareness and help for the 50 million Americans facing hunger.

During Hunger Action Month, FBSJ staff is organizing/supporting the following:

• Peanut Butter Night at the Camden Riversharks (Sept. 12): Fans who bring one jar of peanut butter to this Riversharks’ promotional event will receive a ticket to a future game; and a percentage of game ticket sales generated by Peanut Butter Night will be donated to FBSJ.
• Dine Out for Hunger (Sept. 15): Approximately 25 local restaurants are teaming to support FBSJ by donating a portion of their lunch and dinner proceeds to our mission. The list of participating restaurants, which includes Pennsauken’s Penn Queen Diner, can be found at: http://www.foodbanksj.org/dineout.
• “Canstruction” (Sept. 18-20): The Cherry Hill Mall will play host to a different type of art exhibit – a series of structures built entirely from cans of food! The “cansculptures” will be assembled during a three-day period by competing teams from local corporations, with guidance provided by the charity organization Canstruction®. The cans of food used for the sculptures will be purchased by the competing teams, which include GREYHAWK Construction, and donated to FBSJ.
• Students Change Hunger (Sept. 21): The statewide Students Change Hunger food drive kicks off on Monday, Sept. 21 and runs through Nov. 23. Once again, FBSJ will be championing this campaign through speaking engagements that challenge students in our service area to combat hunger by organizing food and fund drives at their schools. Information on registering for a SCH food drive is available at http://studentschangehunger.org/.

“We are hopeful that many residents across South Jersey communities will find it in their hearts to make an extra difference in the fight against hunger this September,” stated FBSJ CEO Val Traore. “Whether it is directly supporting the Hunger Action Month events that we have created, or simply volunteering a few hours at our food bank or donating to our mission, it all matters greatly to those who require our compassion.”

The Food Bank of South Jersey is the leader in providing safe and nutritional food to people in need throughout South Jersey. FBSJ distributes food, provides nutrition education and cooking courses, and helps food-insecure families and seniors find sustainable ways to improve their lives. In 2014, FBSJ provided 10.4 million pounds of food to nearly 200,000 South Jersey residents. FBSJ is a member of Feeding America, our nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. To learn more, visit www.foodbanksj.org.