America's Second Harvest Showcases the Faces of Hunger Through a Powerful Weeklong Photo Essay to Raise Awareness of the Increasing Number of Families in Need of Food Assistance

Weeklong Initiative Spotlights Americans at Risk of Hunger

CHICAGO, May 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network, is showcasing a week long photo essay in an effort to spotlight the many faces of hunger in America. Each day, a powerful image of an American who relies on one of the nation's food banks for their next meal, is revealed in the week long photo essay. Congress is currently debating a new version of the expired 2007 Farm Bill that is necessary to bring much needed relief to 35 million hungry Americans.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080508/DC21705 )

Today's Photo: Michelle and Dane, Florida

Two years ago, Michelle and Dane left upstate New York for Florida in search of better job opportunities. But the cost of living in Florida was higher than they expected, and when their rent was due, the couple had no money, nowhere to go, and no one to ask for help.

Then Michele learned about a local program served by the America's Second Harvest network: a day center that serves three meals a day to homeless and the near-homeless people, and provides an array of services to address the broader needs of their clients. Staff were able to help Michelle and Dane not only with food, but also the resources that allowed them to stay in their home, and the support they needed to get back on their feet.

Like many clients of charitable feeding programs, Michele and Dane began volunteering as a way of showing their appreciation. Both of them are now employed full-time and say they are grateful for the opportunity to help others get out of the same situation they found themselves in not so long ago.

To learn more about how you can help millions of Americans, please visit www.secondharvest.org.

On the heels of this photo essay, on Saturday, May 10, Campbell Soup Company will join forces with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) to Stamp Out Hunger! across America. Now in its 16th year, the Stamp Out Hunger! effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive, having collected more than 836 million pounds of food since its inception in 1993. For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger! effort in your community, ask your letter carrier, contact your local post office or visit www.helpstampouthunger.com.

America's Second Harvest - The Nation's Food Bank Network is the largest charitable domestic hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through its network of more than 200 member food banks, America's Second Harvest annually provides assistance to more than 25 million people in need, including more than 9 million children and nearly 3 million seniors in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each year, America's Second Harvest secures and distributes more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products to support feeding programs at approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, and Kids Cafes.

CONTACT: Ross Fraser of America's Second Harvest, +1-312-641-6422