Campaign will fight food insecurity in Kansas
City and surrounding areas, with the goal of providing 50,000 meals
to families in need
The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., Humana Inc. (NYSE:
HUM), Harvesters–The Community Food Network and After the Harvest
announced they are “Uniting to Combat Hunger” through a
collaborative campaign designed to raise awareness and fight food
insecurity in the Greater Kansas City area. The goal of the
campaign is to provide 50,000 meals to local individuals in need,
with a special focus on veterans, via community-wide
initiatives.
Food insecurity is a societal issue that affects 1 in 8 people
in the United States. In the Kansas City area alone, nearly 14
percent of the community face food insecurity. Defined as the lack
of access to enough nutritionally adequate foods to live an active,
healthy life, food insecurity contributes to poor health, lower
productivity and higher medical costs.
This is a serious issue that also plagues our nation’s service
men and women, as research shows 25 percent of the nation’s total
active duty and reserve personnel seeks aid from food pantries and
other charitable programs across the country.
“Hunger knows no season and is found in every county in both
urban and rural communities. It takes all of us working together to
end hunger,” said Valerie Nicholson-Watson, president and CEO of
Harvesters–The Community Food Network. “We are grateful to our
community partners, like the VFW, Humana and After the Harvest, who
recognize the need in our community and step forward to help us
fight hunger.”
The “Uniting to Combat Hunger” campaign will kick-off on
Wednesday, June 6, when dozens of volunteers from the VFW and
Humana will pick a variety of fresh produce from a local Kansas
City farm. The food will be transported to Harvesters’ warehouse in
Kansas City, where volunteers will sort and package bags of food
that will be distributed to area pantries.
The campaign will culminate at the 119th VFW National Convention
in Kansas City, July 21-25. Convention attendees are encouraged to
bring canned goods to donate, and on-site volunteers will include
those items in bags of food that will be distributed to area
pantries to help those in need.
“The job of selflessly serving our nation should never be
rewarded with the choice of having enough food to eat or keeping a
roof over one’s family,” said VFW National Commander Keith Harman.
“We’re pleased to join food insecurity champions like Humana, After
the Harvest and Harvesters to help ensure America’s heroes and
their families have access to the sustenance and fulfillment every
person deserves.”
The community can also get involved in the “Uniting to Combat
Hunger” campaign by donating non-perishable food items in blue
Harvesters barrels located throughout the city during the months of
June and July. Nearly 60 barrels will be available at a variety of
locations, including VFW Posts, Humana neighborhood locations,
Partners in Primary Care Centers, Harley-Davidson, Lockton Affinity
and Hy-Vee store locations.
“After the Harvest is honored to join forces with the VFW,
Humana and Harvesters to elevate the issue of food insecurity,
especially among vets of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. At 27
percent, the rate of food insecurity among this population is a
particular injustice, considering the sacrifice these men and women
have made to protect their country and its citizens. We are glad to
join in seeking solutions to this problem, with an emphasis on
securing fresh produce to ensure that these vets and many others
are not only fed but also nourished,” said After the Harvest
Executive Director Lisa Ousley.
“No one should be food insecure and at Humana we’ve made a
commitment to address it as part of our Bold Goal initiative, which
is to improve the health of communities across the country –
including Kansas City – by 20 percent by 2020,” said Jeremy
Gaskill, Central Region President for Humana. “We’re fortunate to
have found synergies in our partners as we all work to combat this
serious issue, as poor nutrition can lead to obesity, diabetes,
heart disease, depression and fatigue in adults, and can damage a
child’s ability to learn and grow.”
To find out more about the “Uniting to Combat Hunger” campaign
and what you can do to help, visit
www.vfw.org/UnitingtoCombatHunger.
About the Veterans of Foreign Wars: The Veterans of
Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and oldest major
war veterans’ organization. Founded in 1899 and chartered by
Congress in 1936, the VFW is comprised entirely of eligible
veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and
Reserve forces. With nearly 1.7 million VFW and Auxiliary members
located in nearly 6,400 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans’
service organization is proud to proclaim “NO ONE DOES MORE FOR
VETERANS” than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans’ service,
legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs.
For more information or to join, visit our website at
www.vfw.org.
About Humana: Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is committed to
helping our millions of medical and specialty members achieve their
best health. Our successful history in care delivery and health
plan administration is helping us create a new kind of integrated
care with the power to improve health and well-being and lower
costs. Our efforts are leading to a better quality of life for
people with Medicare, families, individuals, military service
personnel, and communities at large.
To accomplish that, we support physicians and other health care
professionals as they work to deliver the right care in the right
place for their patients, our members. Our range of clinical
capabilities, resources and tools – such as in-home care,
behavioral health, pharmacy services, data analytics and wellness
solutions – combine to produce a simplified experience that makes
health care easier to navigate and more effective.
About Harvesters–The Community Food Network: Harvesters
is a regional food bank and was Feeding America’s 2011 Food Bank of
the Year. Serving a 26-county area of northwestern Missouri and
northeastern Kansas, Harvesters provides food and related household
products to more than 620 not-for-profit agencies including
emergency food pantries, community kitchens, shelters and others.
Agencies in Harvesters’ network provide food assistance to as many
as 141,500 different people each month. Harvesters, which was
founded in 1979, is a certified member of Feeding America, a
nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, serving all 50
states. For more information, visit www.harvesters.org.
About After the Harvest: After the Harvest rescues
nutritious fruits and vegetables from going to waste and donates
them to agencies that serve hungry people, primarily in Greater
Kansas City. Our volunteers glean after the harvest, picking what’s
left in farmers’ fields and picking up already harvested leftover
produce. The majority of the funds we raise helps secure
semi-truckloads of donated produce that might otherwise end up in
landfills. After the Harvest, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the largest
produce donor to Harvesters—The Community Food Network. Learn more
at aftertheharvestkc.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180605006661/en/
VFW:Randi K. Law, communications
managerrlaw@vfw.orgorHumana:Marvin Hill, corporate
communicationsmhill1@humana.comorHarvesters:Gene Hallinan,
communications managerghallinan@harvesters.orgorAfter the
Harvest:Sandy Vivian, communications
directorsandy@aftertheharvestkc.org
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