Community of Hope Ministries Executive Director Amy White holds the Mayor's Proclamation Designating November as Hunger Action Month in Garner.

Mayoral Proclamation Designating the Month of November 2024 as Hunger Action Month in Garner 

WHEREAS, one in every six children in the state of North Carolina is food insecure; and

WHEREAS, there are 213,890 individuals who live in a food insecure household in Wake County and the 10 total local counties served by the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC. Of those 213,890 individuals, 72,290 are children and 69,807 are senior citizens living at or below the poverty level; and

WHEREAS, in the Town of Garner over 50 percent of the children who attend a Garner-area public school would qualify for free or reduced-price lunch subsidy program and those same children may possibly go without a hot breakfast or lunch in the 185 days that school is not in session; and

WHEREAS, there are multiple faith and civic organizations in the Town of Garner who mount individual year-long efforts to fight hunger in our community including, but not limited to: Community of Hope Ministries, Angie’s Restaurant, Butterball, LLC , Garner Mid-Day Rotary Club, The Capital Church, Garner Area Ministries, Juniper Level Baptist Church, the Poole Family YMCA, Turner Memorial Baptist Church, Backpack Buddies and Meals on Wheels; and

WHEREAS, food supply-chain issues and significant inflation have plagued food pantry and food resource outlets, placing financial pressure on those locations to continue to be able to afford to provide high-quality and consistent access to nutritional items for families in need; and

WHEREAS, food pantries have documented a 70 percent increase in the cost of purchasing groceries over the last year to protect food inventory supplies; and

WHEREAS, the residents of Garner are generous people, who through both private and public efforts, share their abundance to join hands and hearts to fight against hunger; and

WHEREAS, on this 4^th day of November in 2024, a group of interested citizens and business leaders have gathered at Community of Hope Ministries in the gymnasium at First Baptist Church of Garner to participate in the “No Lunch, Lunch”—a soup-kitchen-style lunch offering only a bowl of soup and a roll to its guests; and

WHEREAS, at this “No Lunch, Lunch” Community of Hope has elevated the awareness of real and present food insecurity issues facing Garner’s most challenged families.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Buddy Gupton, Mayor of the Town of Garner, do hereby proclaim November 2024 as Hunger Action Month in Garner in recognition of all of the efforts already offered by many individuals, faith and civic groups, and businesses to eliminate hunger in the Garner community and all of the efforts in the coming few weeks that will be dedicated to helping families experience temporary relief from the stress of poverty during the coming holiday season, and I do hereby also encourage our Town and its residents to join hands, hearts and resources to eliminate food insecurity in our community.