At Kids’ Food Basket, March is dedicated to Go Orange.
In honor of National Nutrition Month and orange representing the color for hunger awareness, every March Kids’ Food Basket focusing on raising awareness for childhood hunger in our West Michigan community.
In Michigan, 32% of people are struggling to put food on the table. There are many barriers and complexities families face related to hunger such as transportation, lack of access, cost and job security. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this worse, making awareness of hunger in our collective community more important than ever before.
Go Orange started in 2014 – this year marks the ninth consecutive year that Kids’ Food Basket has encouraged the community to Go Orange to raise awareness for childhood hunger. With ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols in place, Kids’ Food Basket will host a series of both virtual and socially distanced events and activities that the community can participate in to support their surrounding West Michigan neighbors who are struggling with food insecurity and the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.
“Good food is fundamental. At Kids’ Food Basket we are pursuing a future in which all children have access to the nourishment that fosters their lifelong health and limitless potential,” said President and Founding CEO, Bridget Clark Whitney. “We believe that healthy food is a right, not a privilege, which is why we Go Orange in March – to raise awareness in our collective community in order to take one step closer to the shared vision of realizing a hunger-free West Michigan for all of our neighbors.”
Throughout the month, there are a variety of ways the community can Go Orange:
March Community Partner Challenge (MCPC) – In the past MCPC has been a competition between different companies of all sizes to raise food, funds, volunteerism, and advocacy for Kids’ Food Basket. This year, we are engaging our teams in a different way that is a better fit during the pandemic. Instead of competing against each other, teams are working together towards goals we have set and focusing on a different initiative each week.
Dine Out or Take Out – Support local restaurants this March. The state mandate of 25% capacity keeps us safe but is hard on owners and staff. We want our favorite businesses to survive this difficult time, let’s support them today! Visit our Go Orange website to see a full list of participating restaurants.
Go Orange Day on March 31 – Join us as we are celebrating Go Orange Day with a drive through event at all three Kids’ Food Basket locations where we will be collecting wish list items from 12:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. All collected items will go directly into our Sack Suppers and into the hands of our community.
Drop off any of the items below and do not forget to wear orange or add some orange to your car!
- Fruit cups or pouches
- Meat sticks (i.e. Slim Jims)
- Pudding cups
- 8 lb or XL brown lunch bags
Go Orange at Home – Go Orange with your family at home! Engage and educate your loved ones on what Go Orange means with fun family activities. We also invite all of our West Michigan neighbors to share their Go Orange photos and posts with us using #KFBGoOrange! Wear orange to help the community and raise awareness for childhood hunger.
For more information on all the ways to Go Orange, please visit https://kidsfoodbasket.wpengine.com/go-orange/
