We enjoy celebrating lots of national holidays at Wings and Rings, but none are closer to our hearts than October 16th, National Childhood Hunger Day. Do you know how many children go hungry in the U.S. alone? The numbers are truly staggering. There are more than 17 million children struggling with food security in America. And, unfortunately, the pandemic has only made matters worse, leaving one out of every five children food insecure.

The good news is, there are numerous ways you can help fight childhood hunger right in your hometown. Together with the Buffalove Foundation, Wings and Rings invites you to give back to those that need it most this National Childhood Hunger Day (and beyond) by donating your time or money or by simply learning more about the different ways you can fight child food insecurity.

5 Ways to Help Combat Child Food Insecurity

1. Volunteer. Area charities and nonprofits are always looking for more people to donate their time and energy toward being of service to the community. From working at a local food bank to putting together weekend meal kits for school children, and from sorting food to grocery shopping, opportunities to help at child hunger programs abound.

2. Donate. Wings and Rings’ charitable organization, the Buffalove Foundation, seeks to fulfill its mission to “Give every hungry child the food they need to flourish with access to regular meals and a side of love” through direct donations and grants. Donate to child hunger in denominations of any size, charities appreciate all help.

3. Small acts. If you are looking for smaller ways to help, those opportunities are all around you, too. For example, the Buffalove Foundation runs a RoundUp campaign at most locations, with all proceeds going directly back to fund their grants. Efforts such as our #wingitforward online ordering campaign over the summer encouraged customers to donate to the Buffalove Foundation online by donating either $1 or $5. When you stop by a Wings and Rings during the holidays, you’ll be offered the opportunity to purchase a meal for a child for $2.50, which gets added right to your bill. In addition, you could contribute to a GoFundMe account for families hit by hunger hardship, donate non-perishable goods to a food bank or food drive, or look for other ways to donate around anniversaries or special occasions.

4. Get involved at a school level. “Childhood hunger affects every part of a child’s development and schools play a huge part in helping a family to provide for their children,” William Stone, Wings and Rings’ Social/Advertisement and Buffalove Coordinator said. “Get involved in your local school and see how you can help. Most have pantry programs that you can donate food to so kids have something to eat outside of the meals provided at school.”

5. Help with grant work. Many organizations offer grants to individuals, charities, or other child hunger programs. Oftentimes, there is an application that needs to be filled out in order to be considered for a monetary grant. A lot of these institutions simply don’t have the time or resources to fill out grant paperwork. That’s where you can help as a volunteer grant writer.

Ready to help on this childhood hunger awareness day and every day? Get started by checking out the Buffalove Foundation, and keep your eyes open for other opportunities to help make child food insecurity a thing of the past.