America's Second Harvest Showcases the Faces of Hunger Through A Weeklong Initiative to Raise Awareness of the Increasing Number of Families In Need of Food Assistance

Weeklong Photo Essay Series Spotlighting Americans at Risk of Hunger

CHICAGO, May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Beginning today, America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, will present a series of photographs spotlighting the face of hunger in America. Congress is currently debating a Farm Bill that would bring much needed relief to hungry Americans.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080505/21264 )

Today's Photo:

Dianna

Cuba, New Mexico

In the remote regions of New Mexico, people living near the poverty line have limited options for both food and employment. Even with a steady job, Diana still finds it hard to make ends meet in the small town of Cuba, New Mexico. She is often forced to either pay inflated food prices at the local grocery store, or drive nearly 90 miles to Albuquerque for more reasonably-priced food. But with the rising price of gasoline, even that option has become untenable.

A single mother raising four children, Dianna is utilizing every resource she can for self-improvement and assistance for her family, from continuing education programs to government resources, to the local food pantry supplied by the Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico. She says the money she saves by visiting the pantry each month helps her to make it through the winter months, when high utility costs used to force her to choose between buying food or paying her heating bill. The food pantry gives her the food and support she needs to keep her family well-fed, and the hope to keep striving for a better tomorrow. To learn more, please visit www.rrfb.org

America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes. To learn more, please visit http://www.secondharvest.org/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080505/21264
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN24
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: America's Second Harvest

CONTACT: Ross Fraser, Media Relations Manager, America's Second Harvest,
+1-312-641-6422

Web Site: http://www.rrfb.org/
http://www.secondharvest.org/

2008-05-05 18:31:00 0353154 PRNEWSWIRE