INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — With 15 percent of the population living below the poverty line, Indian River County is no stranger to hunger. But what can be done, and how can the community help?
A group of community leaders will join Treasure Coast Food Bank at “Roots of Hunger in Indian River County,” a breakfast roundtable to discuss the picture of hunger and some possible solutions. It takes place at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at Leisure Square, 3705 16th Street in Vero Beach.
The roundtable is part of Treasure Coast Food Bank’s Hunger Action Month initiatives, and the public is encouraged to attend this frank discussion of poverty and hunger in Indian River County. Hunger Action Month is a nationwide effort throughout the month of September to bring awareness to hunger, and Treasure Coast Food Bank will be hosting numerous events in the four-county area the agency serves.
“It may be surprising to learn how many people in Indian River County struggle with hunger each week,” Treasure Coast Food Bank CEO Judy Cruz said. “It also will surprise many to learn that the causes run deeper than food. The U.S. Census shows that 15 percent of the county’s population live below the poverty line. Many of those are children and seniors.”
Cruz will be one of four panelists in the discussion, along with the Rev. Scott Alexander of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry, and Karen Deigl, president and CEO of Senior Resource Association, which provides adult day care, transportation, nutrition and other programs to seniors.
“Until someone understands what it means to be truly under-resourced they will have no way of knowing what those who are under- resourced go through on a daily basis,” Chief Touchberry said. “And resources are not just financial.”
Roundtable topics will include a discussion about who comprises the poor and hungry in Indian River County, specific challenges that low-income families face, what effect the economy is having, a discussion of possible solutions, and ways the community can collaborate.
The event is free, but space is limited. Please register to attend by calling Natalie Gayle at (772) 489-3034. For more information about Hunger Action Month, visit www.stophunger.org.
