“One Kid Can!” Toolkit Helps Kids Make a Difference RI Community Food Bank to distribute free toolkits at Farmers Markets

September is Hunger Action Month. How can we make a difference?

Noah Strunin, age 7, will design a chalk drawing on your driveway if you’ll donate a few cans of food to the hungry. Catherine Amoriggi, age 16, is creating a wall calendar featuring her own recipes as a fundraiser for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. These young Rhode Islanders — and many more like them — have decided to do something about the issue of hunger.

Now, kids and teens who want to make a difference in their community have a free resource to help them get started. This September, during Hunger Action Month, the Rhode Island Community Food Bank has released “One Kid Can! Helping the Hungry: A Toolkit for Kids and Young Adults.” The 20-page booklet contains dozens of ideas organized by age group, along with tools and helpful hints for conducting food and “fun” drives.

To download a free copy of the booklet, visit www.rifoodbank.org/HungerActionMonth or contact Cindy Elder at celder@rifoodbank.org or 401-230-1674. Printed copies can be obtained at the Food Bank’s facility at 200 Niantic Avenue, Providence. The Food Bank is open weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm.

The Food Bank will also distribute free copies of the booklet at several farmers’ markets during September. Look for their booth at the following locations:

• Monday, Sept. 16, 3-5 pm: Whole Foods University Heights, 601 North Main St., Providence
• Tuesday, Sept. 17, 3-6 pm: Downtown Farmers Market, Kennedy Plaza, Providence
• Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2-6 pm: Haines Park, Haines Park Rd., Barrington
• Thursday, Sept. 19, 3:30-5:30 pm, Armory Farmers Market, Parade St. and Hudson St., Providence
• Tuesday, Sept. 24, 3-5 pm: Whole Foods Garden City, 151 Sockanosset Cross Rd., Cranston
• Wednesday, Sept. 25, 3-6 pm: Hope Street Farmers Market, Lippitt Park, Providence
• Monday, Sept. 30, 3-6 pm: East Greenwich Farmers Market, Church St. and Rector St., East Greenwich

“We’ve been touched and impressed by the young people who have approached us with their creative ideas to help Rhode Islanders suffering from hunger,” says Andrew Schiff, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “One Kid Can! showcases many of their great work, along with a range of projects we developed for all ages, from preschool to high school and beyond.”

Although hunger is a year-round issue, it takes the spotlight in September during Hunger Action Month. Nationally, more than 50 million people struggle with hunger, including 16.7 million children. In Rhode Island, the Food Bank’s network of food pantries and meal sites serves more than 68,000 people each month. One in three is a child under the age of 18.