tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90478919734174279882024-03-09T15:29:47.203-05:00AprilFoodDayPlease help us fight hunger in the US by supporting either your local food bank, or Feeding America, a national food bank with 200 members across the United States.Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-13870991432107866472011-04-01T00:00:00.001-04:002011-04-01T00:00:12.163-04:00The Third Annual APRIL FOOD DAY!<p><font face="Trebuchet MS">For the third year in a row, </font><a href="http://easyandelegantlife.com/"><font face="Trebuchet MS">Easy and Elegant Life’s</font></a><font face="Trebuchet MS"> Editor, Chris Cox and I are pleased to host </font><a href="http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/"><font face="Trebuchet MS">APRIL FOOD DAY</font></a><font face="Trebuchet MS">, Bloggers Fighting Hunger. </font><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZVNwTO_3tI/AAAAAAAAP2o/iE2AsWmZg4A/s1600-h/April%20Food%20Day%202011%5B10%5D.jpg"><font face="Trebuchet MS"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZVNwTO_3tI/AAAAAAAAP2s/F85bnfUAEE4/s1600-h/April%20Food%20Day%202011%5B11%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="April Food Day 2011" border="0" alt="April Food Day 2011" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZVNxjcYl6I/AAAAAAAAP2w/3xkv5g98pOc/April%20Food%20Day%202011_thumb%5B9%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="419" height="768" /></a></font></a><font face="Trebuchet MS">Here’s what you can do to help!</font></p> <p><font face="Trebuchet MS">You can add the logo for Feeding America, the national food bank, to your blog. Feeding America has also set up a special URL for donations, </font><a href="https://secure.feedingamerica.org/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=1560&1560.donation=form1&s_src=W103AFDB&JServSessionIdr004=3h7pm27tp5.app213a"><font face="Trebuchet MS">here</font></a><font face="Trebuchet MS">.</font><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZVNyCqpFdI/AAAAAAAAP20/J_V4z8Lt3Lk/s1600-h/Feeding%20America%5B3%5D.jpg"><font face="Trebuchet MS"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZVNyCqpFdI/AAAAAAAAP24/phnZcJuJfJA/s1600-h/Feeding%20America%5B4%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="Feeding America" border="0" alt="Feeding America" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZVNy-0ayRI/AAAAAAAAP28/-EVuLqZPnzc/Feeding%20America_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="133" /></a></font></a></p> <p><font face="Trebuchet MS">You can tell the story of how many people in America:</font></p> <ul> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">In 2009, 50.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, 33 million adults and 17.2 million children </font></li> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">In 2009, households with children reported food insecurity at almost double the rate for those without children, 21.3 percent compared to 11.4 percent. </font></li> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">In 2009, households that had higher rates of food insecurity than the national average included households with children (21.3 percent), especially households with children headed by single women (36.6 percent) or single men (27.8 percent), Black non-Hispanic households (24.9 percent) and Hispanic households (26.9 percent). </font></li> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">In 2009, 7.8 percent of seniors living alone (884,000 households) were food insecure.</font> </li> </ul> <p><font face="Trebuchet MS">You can tell your readers what a contribution to Feeding America, or a local food bank will do to help those who are hungry:</font></p> <ul> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to approximately 5.7 million different people per week. </font></li> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.  </font></li> </ul> <p><font face="Trebuchet MS">Here’s what else you can do:</font></p> <ul> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">Add the <a href="http://feedingamerica.org/">Feeding America</a>, or <a href="http://www.aprilfoodday.blogspot.com">April Food Day</a> link to your Facebook status</font> </li> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">Tweet about April Food Day</font> </li> <li><font face="Trebuchet MS">Link your post </font><a href="http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/2011/03/april-food-day-links-list.html"><font face="Trebuchet MS">here</font></a><font face="Trebuchet MS">, so we can see how many participants we have. </font></li> </ul> <p><font face="Trebuchet MS">On behalf of all of the people you will be helping, thank you so much!</font></p> Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-30411698807917703552011-03-29T23:25:00.001-04:002011-03-29T23:26:26.458-04:00April Food Day Links List<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Please post a link to your post about April Food Day - not your entire blog, just the April Food Day post! The link will take you to another page where you'll enter the URL for your post, and then it will bring you right back here. </span><br />
<br />
<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=82566" type="text/javascript">
</script>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-66768913310211193712011-03-29T23:17:00.001-04:002011-03-29T23:17:50.777-04:00April Food Day 2011<p>We are pleased to host the Third Annual April Food Day: Bloggers Fighting Hunger! To participate, please post the April Food Day logo on your blog and add a link to either the national food bank, Feeding America, or your local food bank. <a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZKg15Uq6HI/AAAAAAAAP1o/SPbL1saRUS0/s1600-h/April%20Food%20Day%202011%5B6%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" title="April Food Day 2011" border="0" alt="April Food Day 2011" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/TZKg3aaM9iI/AAAAAAAAP1s/UyXtEeL6CbY/April%20Food%20Day%202011_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="436" height="800" /></a> </p> <p>To encourage people to donate, you might link directly to the donations page. Feeding America has a secure on-line donations page: <a href="https://secure.feedingamerica.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1560&1560.donation=form1&s_src=WXXOGLOB&s_subsrc=http%25253A//feedingamerica.org/&__utma=1.1021843472.1301024232.1301024232.1301453093.2&__utmb=1.1.10.1301453093&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1301024800.1.3.utmcsr=google%7cutmccn=(organic)%7cutmcmd=organic%7cutmctr=Amy%2520Franze%2520feeding%2520america%2520national%2520office&__utmv=-&__utmk=123074187">HERE</a>.</p> <p>If hunger has touched you, or someone you  know, I hope that you will consider sharing the story with your readers. A personalized story helps make Hunger in America more real to people. </p> <p>Additionally, please Tweet about April Food Day, and add it to your Facebook status on April 1. </p> <p>I will be posting a links list so that everyone can see who participated. Look for that tomorrow!</p> Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-42318204097882063472010-03-31T23:26:00.001-04:002010-04-01T09:51:39.721-04:00It's APRIL FOOD DAYToday is April Food Day and it’s no joke. <br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEN9d1Typ1_8YD5dP4e3t45PV_dXlphmMsumbN053XkU0TcBkzsYaZ8ohXX0mmNh5vrHUfV5UT_Nn7FEwSEXcE_BW_nfuQ9vQ3U0g-gW7IbBhvNSeDw4oHLVeqaOj0Ty7cm1FHurY0LM8/s1600/April+Food+Day+2010%5B4%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEN9d1Typ1_8YD5dP4e3t45PV_dXlphmMsumbN053XkU0TcBkzsYaZ8ohXX0mmNh5vrHUfV5UT_Nn7FEwSEXcE_BW_nfuQ9vQ3U0g-gW7IbBhvNSeDw4oHLVeqaOj0Ty7cm1FHurY0LM8/s400/April+Food+Day+2010%5B4%5D.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>More and more people in our country are going hungry because they have lost their jobs, their benefits have ended, they can’t find a job and have no place left to turn but to their local food bank. But the nation’s food banks are stretched to the limit because of the increased number of people needing their services. <br />
<br />
You might think that none of your friends are going hungry, but I read a comment on a piece NPR did about a photography exhibit about hunger in America, and think it could apply to any one of us:<br />
<blockquote><em>…a dear friend and community member crossed over. At his one year crossing remembrance, stories began to come out and I realized with great sorrow, our friend went hungry. I feel sad when I think of it, that our dear friend who gave so much and was so generous in spirit and friendship was hungry and we never knew that. How did we not make it our business to know how it was with him we loved so?</em></blockquote>Please make a donation to Feeding America, or your local food bank, and count yourself as one of the lucky ones if you’re not going to bed hungry every night. Feeding America has set up a <a href="http://help.feedingamerica.org/aprilfoodday">special URL for April Food Day</a> so they can see how much we’ve donated. <br />
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If you’re a blogger, tweeter, facebooker or have an e-mail list, please share this address. Let me know if you’ve posted about April Food Day, and we will add you to the list of participants on the April Food Day site. <br />
<br />
Thank you very much.Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-60761291990042596282010-03-30T19:17:00.002-04:002010-03-30T19:20:11.644-04:00Story on NPR About Hunger<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHsIxxuZEljQ5hhNDPU2tZ5GZld_OX_8Tq_Izmd2_jLL7FrpzPOSFm9yEGyJEV3vb9bMHSb1G-KsdUYlgo-84CliSKjMUOAhNPjzYYhfnIgkrokzlv8AIqpJwmaUhL0lnSiAAXEmCo7U/s1600/kathy+by+michael+nye.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454570627338582706" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHsIxxuZEljQ5hhNDPU2tZ5GZld_OX_8Tq_Izmd2_jLL7FrpzPOSFm9yEGyJEV3vb9bMHSb1G-KsdUYlgo-84CliSKjMUOAhNPjzYYhfnIgkrokzlv8AIqpJwmaUhL0lnSiAAXEmCo7U/s400/kathy+by+michael+nye.jpg" /></a>Interestingly, there was a story about hunger in America this afternoon on NPR. You can listen to it <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125299636">here</a>.<br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">Photographer <a href="http://www.michaelnye.org/hunger/abouthunger.html">Michael Nye</a> has been documenting the faces and voices of hunger — those who are newly hungry, others who have experienced hunger all their lives, and some who have known it temporarily but unforgettably.<br /></div><br /><div align="justify">His new exhibition, "About Hunger & Resilience," is on display at <a href="http://www.wittemuseum.org/exhibits/Hunger.html">San Antonio's Witte Museum</a>.</div>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-40574281712932494602010-03-30T15:03:00.003-04:002010-03-31T15:50:00.760-04:00April Food Day Details – Are you in?<p>April 1 is just two days away and we’re preparing for the second annual April Food Day blog event. This year, Chris Cox, Editor of Easy & Elegant Life, and I hope that people will post the link on twitter and facebook, and share the information with their friends and colleagues. <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/S7JK-150eAI/AAAAAAAAMfM/ZgupA6Bjo6k/s1600-h/April%20Food%20Day%202010%5B4%5D.jpg"><img title="April Food Day 2010" style="BORDER-TOP-WIDTH: 0px; DISPLAY: block; BORDER-LEFT-WIDTH: 0px; FLOAT: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-WIDTH: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: auto; MARGIN-RIGHT: auto; BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px" height="240" alt="April Food Day 2010" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_69eUcYOc_QI/S7JK_FYk5AI/AAAAAAAAMfQ/hkcRDyiUJsU/April%20Food%20Day%202010_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="179" border="0" /></a></p><p>Feeding America has provided <a href="http://help.feedingamerica.org/aprilfoodday">April Food Day with a special link</a> that will track the giving, and so we will know what an impact it’s had.</p><p>Here are some facts to use in writing about April Food Day:</p><ul><li>Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year. </li><li>That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries. </li><li>Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006. </li><li>Thirty-six percent of the households served have at least one person working. </li><li>More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care. </li><li>The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006. </li><li>Feeding America food banks provide food and groceries to 33,500 food pantries, 4,500 soup kitchens and 3,600 emergency shelters. </li><li>68 percent of pantries, 42 percent of soup kitchens, and 15 percent of emergency shelters rely solely on volunteers and have no paid staff. </li><li>55 percent, are faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues and other religious organizations; 33 percent are other types of non-profit organizations. </li></ul><p>There are several important links to include:</p><ul><li><a href="http://feedingamerica.org/default.aspx">Feeding America’s website</a> </li><li>The link to their <a href="http://help.feedingamerica.org/aprilfoodday">April Food Day donation page</a> </li><li><a href="mailto:mfairfaxf@juno.com">My e-mail</a> </li><li><a href="mailto:editor@easyandelegantlife.com" target="_blank">Chris’s e-mail</a> </li></ul><p>Last but not least, please let either Chris or me know that you’ve posted about April Food Day, so that we can add you to our list of participants. We had about 150 bloggers last year and would love to double that in 2010!</p><p>Thanks for helping us make a difference!</p><p>Meg & Chris</p>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-60860995348518620952010-03-03T20:38:00.005-05:002010-03-29T13:03:49.224-04:00April Food Day 2010<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We are gearing up for April Food Day 2010, and hope that you will join us in our fight against hunger in America. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'trebuchet ms';">We will be adding details on this year's campaign in a few days, and also providing a specific donation link to <a href="http://help.feedingamerica.org/aprilfoodday">Feeding America</a>, the national food bank. </span></div>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-72876854086546013182009-04-02T08:35:00.001-04:002009-04-02T08:36:32.906-04:00THANK YOU!!<span style="font-family:verdana;">Well, the day is over and I think I can say that the first annual </span><a href="http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">April Food Day, Bloggers Fighting Hunger</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, was a huge success. And it is all thanks to our fellow bloggers and all of our readers and to my partner-in-crime, Chris at </span><a href="http://easyandelegantlife.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Easy & Elegant Life</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">At last count, we had 115 blogs who participated. Of course, these are just the ones we know about, and there may be many more out there that we don't know about. If you posted and your blog doesn't appear on the list on April Food Day, let me know, and we'll add it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bloggers who posted ranged from the traditional design/decor blogs to southern prep and hospitality blogs to the Blume Library's blog. We were mentioned on the weekly Food Chat on the Washington Post and on Dining @ Large in the Baltimore Sun, and on the Huffington Post. Bloggers in England, Scotland and France, as well as our neighbours to the north in Canada, all wrote about April Food Day. Some people just posted the logo and the links and others told personal stories of volunteering at food banks or having to use one. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Unfortunately, I don't know that we'll be able to find out how much bloggers donated, as there was no way to flag our donations. Also, some people linked to their local food banks for their readers. Regardless, I know that we all made an impact by raising both money and awareness. </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thank you very very much to each and every blogger who posted and to each and every person who made a contribution. </span>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-53182750549683905772009-03-31T15:42:00.004-04:002009-03-31T20:21:23.011-04:00Links and Logos<div><span style="font-family:verdana;">The blog is: </span><a href="http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" xcomment="target=_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">http://aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/</span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The feeding america site is: </span><a href="http://www.feedingamerica.org/" target="_blank" xcomment="target=_blank"><span style="font-family:verdana;">www.feedingamerica.org</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The donation page is: </span><a href="https://secure2.convio.net/a2h/site/Donation2?idb=1375441249&df_id=1560&1560.donat" target="_blank" xcomment="target=_blank" ion="'form1"><span style="font-family:verdana;">https://secure2.convio.net/a2h/site/Donation2?idb=1375441249&df_id=1560&1560.donat ion=form1</span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Here's the logo:</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319439983758912402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 100px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jQxWmxrfEnXeGWoTx5fCmX6BgXoabJZLRwglIC7tF2YtOndHj1JkISlJOxHcFMW15baOizEmPimi0-2s4EYuvrWW5JGZMV_Wq0fp29mNT0wCBsA2ewcDg73Ivevp43v8BSqkjVLpicQ/s400/April+Food+Day+logo.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Here's one designed by Rosemary at <a href="http://contentinacottage.blogspot.com/">Content in a Cottage</a>. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319511046195632978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3xxjPJKxPCtvuHQVJIOybuYiAZ-HGNml52YtZTB3Srajp6Whbqv2r3dtk8oITWKYqaRUmeMHbKyKjz2X0Ob9r5MBOmYeeE_a0sBo2vzLK8WdJTxTUXEfv1LM4s-DbY-j-_ip7mPsVok/s400/April-Food-Day2.jpg" border="0" />Thank you for helping.</span></div>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-24184804361551003962009-03-31T10:38:00.007-04:002009-03-31T20:35:53.292-04:00APRIL FOOD DAY<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntsp_wjGvWBEr8GmxuMCCXQ1Bm0DSxY5uIMw-AXSKaY8fj-gDpVhFd1PvxkS-EFVindGfhsf9R0us4rKEuD7GYWld78Q5ms6c0xHY6f38CBQzwQuB1CZULLyr5f0i_WhpzAnRYRDQ_rc/s1600-h/911915_13636709.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319383972595253410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 333px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntsp_wjGvWBEr8GmxuMCCXQ1Bm0DSxY5uIMw-AXSKaY8fj-gDpVhFd1PvxkS-EFVindGfhsf9R0us4rKEuD7GYWld78Q5ms6c0xHY6f38CBQzwQuB1CZULLyr5f0i_WhpzAnRYRDQ_rc/s400/911915_13636709.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Do you know that...</span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">One in eight Americans are at risk for hunger?</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Four million Americans receive assistance from Feeding America each week?</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Children who are hungry have slower emotional, social and educational development?</span></li><li><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Millions of elderly Americans go to bed hungry every night?</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">It is so critical that those of us who are not in this position help those who are. So many people who never thought they would need food assistance are now asking for help from their local food bank. They have lost their jobs through the massive down-sizings and layoffs. They have exhausted all of their resources. Elderly people on fixed incomes are finding that costs are out-pacing their incomes.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319384975445335202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_oYyavb8QnPAHtRiOdQNFJIVIiPBMJ1t62CP1BdRyEL_Gvh-tAUXJJ-y3HspZtaawprzHyWfPumLaxJ-k55LIRX2jzsWNc58na6ksSG3OqWRdUdjnjybH8Q_2x7Qxkl1Lb_-RYQzkrvA/s400/500677_35446061.jpg" border="0" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">First-time requests at food banks are at an all-time high, but the shelves are bare. Corporations and foundations have decreased their donations and individuals are so uncertain about their own finances, that their giving has slowed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We are asking that you make a donation, even if it's just a dollar or two. It will help someone who may be less fortunate than you are. </span></p><a href="http://feedingamerica.org/default.aspx"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319384715923049474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 196px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBruaOM0UCtYocNRgVsz7ZcIB5rdIp06yP38QFW2D7G9aK-fi9fN3dSpHE_XxPgRLJfRjh-uRhc5Qxb6194f53vTybh2weogFG2MCBNygd034TMzHi4SH6SnlXm0sUBxHiCtUbqe5esY/s400/feeding.jpg" border="0" /></a> <p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Here's the link to <a href="http://www.feedingamerica.org/">Feeding America</a>, an affiliation of more than 200 food banks across the country. Chances are that your local food bank is a part of this network.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We're all in this together, and that's the way we will come through it... together.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Please help today. The need is great and the time is now.</span><br /></p><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Thank you so very much.</span></p></div>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-71579111692961703552009-03-30T11:18:00.003-04:002009-03-30T11:23:20.096-04:00April Food Day on Huffington Post<div><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thanks so much to writer, Ari Herzog for writing a post about April Food Day on Huffington Post and on his personal blog today. This will be huge in getting the word out. Here are the links to the </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ari-herzog/bloggers-fight-hunger-on_b_180693.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">HuffPost</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and to </span><a href="http://ariwriter.com/2009/03/fight-hunger-on-april-food-day/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Ari's blog</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span></div>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-74147458014523214082009-03-26T11:09:00.004-04:002009-03-28T10:26:18.686-04:00April Food Day is Coming<span style="font-family:verdana;">If you'd like an April Food Day logo to post on your blog for our Bloggers Action Day, please e-mail me at <em>mfairfaxf at juno dot com</em>, and I will be happy to send you a high resolution jpg version of it. Additionally, e-mail me for the links to Feeding America's Donation page. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We're asking everyone to tell their readers to put <em>April Food Day</em> in the comment section if they make a donation to Feeding America, so they will be able to track donations and see what a difference we've made. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317514628961070658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmaW4bSDKy1n3f9jTm-1F8ACtXUMjxFJHL8exjkJRnwfqzIjPCBAGrRS5q8dWcess189jYXXYuop9FtSXENlxaJ8wDmlS4NzI8XEVRasMs9G1aThNh-slB8U5W4acysX7lVIV1T2zMdA/s400/Food+011.jpg" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Thanks for being a part of April Food Day! </span>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-30135004034001217012009-03-18T15:20:00.003-04:002009-03-18T15:38:17.414-04:00Salon.com Article on Hunger<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiWe-DCmCfdPpnbVJOTcoUSHHN6XPSV6XQxUIHwzufFnilYZBFq9e-W4zoSbQcNEd2dvV3Ggk7YwB5H3dRW59lxrv8jCCRRbQOns8qASz9LOaryBU3jwhtcKX-1DYqLMFZTSqwGTkyGo/s1600-h/salonlogo_p.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314612965130132754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 129px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 113px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiWe-DCmCfdPpnbVJOTcoUSHHN6XPSV6XQxUIHwzufFnilYZBFq9e-W4zoSbQcNEd2dvV3Ggk7YwB5H3dRW59lxrv8jCCRRbQOns8qASz9LOaryBU3jwhtcKX-1DYqLMFZTSqwGTkyGo/s400/salonlogo_p.gif" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">I hope that you will take a few minutes to read this recent article in Salon.com. It outlines the incredible surge in need at food banks across the country in the past six months. Here's the </span><a href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/03/16/turse/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">link</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-66234917619832978452009-03-17T20:29:00.002-04:002009-03-17T20:43:08.597-04:00Some Statistics<div><span style="font-family:verdana;">In December 2008, Food Stamp participation was 31,784,453 people, the highest participation level on record, and an increase of nearly 700,000 individuals from November 2008. Previously, SNAP/Food Stamp participation peaked in September 2008, when some of the 31,586,923 participants were hurricane victims getting a temporary benefit.</span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314321665399743314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 342px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS05Ai3X9tAgTMO3v9QlCzlORpoEPyXdG3Norqw-CX__a7bIM9ptx9imiXInow-wBbxBVq0l8sNpbMiYDrsKcJFJKbxBWo9X4RgQ_pVGvCLEN6l-xv5Uu6wf7pHYa90woDZMACC1X_rUc/s400/foodbank.jpg" border="0" /> <div><strong>All states</strong> reported increases in caseloads between December 2007 and December 2008. Ten states registered over-the-prior December percentage caseload increases above 20 percent: Idaho (30.4), Utah (29.8), Florida (28.7), Nevada (28.1), Arizona (24.3), Texas (24.1), Wisconsin (22.8), Maryland (22.0), Georgia (21.2), and Massachusetts (20.2).</div><div><br />A weakened economy means that many more individuals are turning to SNAP/Food Stamps. Even before the latest economic crisis, more than 36.2 million people lived in U.S. households facing a constant struggle against hunger.</div><br /><div></div><div><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>A food stamp recipient receives only 78 cents per meal, on average.</strong> </span></div></span>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9047891973417427988.post-2943499934256398672009-03-14T11:44:00.005-04:002009-03-14T21:46:19.098-04:00Introducing April Food Day<p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Everyday, the news is filled with the dire news about the current economic climate and a lot of us use the blogging community to take a break from the constant drumbeat. However, we can not ignore the fact that friends and family members, and even some blogger friends have lost their jobs because of the recession.<br /><br />Former advertising executive and editor of </span><a href="http://easyandelegantlife.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Easy & Elegant Life</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, along with fundraising professional and editor of </span><a href="http://www.pigtown-design.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Pigtown*Design</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, have teamed up to create a blogger action day on April 1, 2009, which we are calling April Food Day – Bloggers Fighting Hunger. We are asking our fellow bloggers to create a post about this project and ask each of their readers to make a contribution to <a href="http://feedingamerica.org/">Feeding America</a> (formerly Second Harvest), a national food bank with 200 member banks across the country.<br /><br />People who never had a worry in the world now have to think about where their next meal is coming from. People who never would have dreamt that they would need help are now showing up at the local food banks. But when they get there, the shelves are bare. There is not enough food being donated to meet the sudden rise in demand. There is not enough money to buy the food for the food banks. There is not a general understanding that food banks need help to help fill their shelves.<br /><br />Every dollar contributed provides seven meals or 10 pounds of food. A gift of $25 provides 75 meals. If we all post together and ask our readers to make a contribution on April 1, we can make a huge difference in our communities.<br /><br />We would like you to help in a few easy ways:</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Send this or a similar letter to your friends with blogs and ask them to do the same.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Write a post, and we can help you with copy if you need it, and publish it on March 31 or April 1, asking your readers to make a contribution to Feeding America. We will provide you with the direct link to Feeding America’s donation page.</span></li><li><span style="font-family:verdana;">Provide a link to this blog, <a href="http://www.aprilfoodday.blogspot.com/">April Food Day</a> </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and we will link back to your blog and to your post about the April Food Day.</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:verdana;">We hope that you will help us help others. We know that this is a quick turn-around, but the need is great and the time is now. </span></p>Pigtown*Designhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13775512940294150252noreply@blogger.com4