Give Back: Meals and Music at the Soup Kitchen through Backyard Humanitarian

Some happy chefs serving up some salad, photo from http://backyardhumanitarian.org

Here are some startling facts according to FeedingAmerica.org:

In 2011, 50.1 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33.5 million adults and 16.7 million children.
In 2011, 14.9 percent of households (17.9 million households) were food insecure.
In 2011, 5.7 percent of households (6.8 million households) experienced very low food security.
In 2011, households with children reported food insecurity at a significantly higher rate than those without children, 20.6 percent compared to 12.2 percent.
In 2011, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the national average included households with children (20.6 percent), especially households with children headed by single women (36.8 percent) or single men (24.9 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (25.1 percent) and Hispanic households (26.2 percent).
In 2011, 8.8 percent of seniors living alone (1 million households) were food insecure.
Food insecurity exists in every county in America, ranging from a low of 5 percent in Steele County, ND to a high of 37 percent in Holmes County, MS.

The band plays on at the soup kitchen, photo from http://www.backyardhumanitarian.org

Yes, those statistics are definitely amazing and Fairfield County isn’t immune from food insecurity, either. But, as you know, there are lots of people out there who are helping to feed and take care of others. We’ve talked to you about the great work of Community Plates and we’ve talked about fundraisers for New Covenant House of Hospitality in Stamford, but we’re presenting you now with some solid, tangible ways to get out there and help out.

Specifically, we’re talking about helping out at the soup kitchen of New Covenant House of Hospitality through Backyard Humanitarian (Olio had a fundraiser for them, remember?). Here are some of the ways that you can help out:

Cooking (10am to noon)
Baking (10am to noon)
Shopping for the food (10am to noon)
Serving food (12:30-1:30 pm)
Help pay for some of the meals
Musicians and bands are invited to sign up and play music, too

If you’d like to get involved, all you need to do is email volunteer@backyardhumanitarian.org. You’ll need to wear a blue or a green shirt, but that’s about it. You can also get the popular tie-dyed Backyard Humanitarian t-shirt for a donation of $25 dollars.

Here are the rest of the dates when you can volunteer through Backyard Humanitarian:

April 13

May 11

June 8
July 13
Aug 10
Sept 14
Oct 12
Nov 9
Dec 14

New Covenant House of Hospitality

90 Fairfield Avenue

Stamford, Connecticut