Sacramento landmarks glow orange for Hunger Action Day
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Several prominent Sacramento buildings are glowing orange Tuesday morning to call attention to hunger and the growing number of families struggling to afford food.
Tuesday, Sept. 29, is Hunger Action Day, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about food insecurity and encourage communities to take action.
The city of Sacramento partnered with Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services to light the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, and City Hall garage orange, the official color of hunger relief.
“Today is Hunger Action Day, so it’s a nationwide movement to raise awareness of hunger and inspire folks to take action to fight hunger,” said Kevin Buffalino, director of communications for Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.
The orange lights went on at dusk Monday and remained on through dawn on Tuesday.
Buffalino said the issue affects far more people than many may realize.
“More than 1 in 4 people in Sacramento County are at risk of hunger,” he said. “That means they’re having to make really tough decisions about how they’re going to stretch their budget.”
Those decisions can include choosing between groceries and other necessities such as rent, utilities, gas, and medication.
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services and its network of more than 110 partner organizations are currently serving nearly 329,000 people every month.
Buffalino said hunger does not only affect people who are unemployed or experiencing homelessness.
“It’s not just people who are unhoused. It’s not just people who are unemployed,” he said. “A lot of the people we’re serving are seniors on fixed incomes. They can’t keep up with inflation. A lot of families, even dual-income families, their wages just aren’t stretching far enough to be able to cover everything that their family needs.”
He said more than 440,000 people in Sacramento County are considered at risk of hunger.
“It’s probably someone in your neighborhood, perhaps someone at your children’s school, your church or a local youth sports team,” Buffalino said.
The food bank is also using Hunger Action Day to encourage people to get involved.
Buffalino said the organization relies on about 700 volunteers each month and also depends on financial donations.
“For every $1 that’s donated, we can turn that into three meals,” he said. “Any donation amount can really make a big impact.”
People can also help by volunteering, fundraising, or spreading awareness about food insecurity.
“If we can come together as a community, we really can make a big difference,” Buffalino said. “We’re in this together, and anyone can make a difference in this fight.”
More information about donating, volunteering, and getting food assistance is available through Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.
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