Officials from hunger relief agencies will address the issue of childhood hunger in Tioga County at a press conference from 2 to 3 p.m. on Monday, June 6 at Tioga Opportunities, Inc. The press conference marks the beginning of Child Hunger Awareness Week, a countywide effort to raise awareness of childhood food insecurity in Tioga County.
Representatives will include the Tioga County Legislature, Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, Tioga Opportunities, Inc., Food Bank of the Southern Tier, Broome-Tioga BOCES, and the Tioga County Anti-Hunger Task Force.
This is the first year that Tioga County is participating in Child Hunger Awareness Week, held each year during the first week of June. Other activities that will be held from June 6 through 10 include a film screening of “A Place at the Table” on Thursday, June 9 at the Owego Kitchen.
Tioga County Child Hunger Facts: 2,340 (20.6 percent) children in Tioga County are considered food insecure; 1,405 (12.6 percent) children in Tioga County are living below the poverty line; half of all Tioga County children are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and of those eligible, 75 percent are participating; on average, 395 children a day receive free meals during the summer through the Tioga County Summer Food Service Program; and nearly half of all people who use SNAP (food stamps) are children
Established in 2015, the Tioga County Anti-Hunger Task Force brings together diverse stakeholders to address the problem of food insecurity in Tioga County through collaboration, education, awareness and advocacy.
