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 16 /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/20080516/DC21706 )

Today's Photo:

Larissa

San Francisco, California

Many people who receive food through the America's Second Harvest network also spend time volunteering at their local food pantries and soup kitchens, helping to sustain programs that are vital to their friends and neighbors. Senior citizen Larissa Morgulis is one such dedicated person. Originally from Ukraine, and now living with a fixed income, she resides and volunteers at a partner agency of the San Francisco Food Bank that provides housing services to low-income seniors. Larissa focuses most of her volunteer efforts on food preparation, and truly values the friendships she and her neighbors share over meals. Through the power of the America's Second Harvest network, Larissa's senior years will be filled with food, hope, and companionship.

Learn more: www.sffoodbank.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.