The face of hunger in Hamilton may not be what many people think: it can range from temporary struggles to feed one’s family while unemployed, to children who don’t have access to enough food when school is out for the summer.
To raise awareness about hunger in America and right here in Hamilton, while also creating the potential for a fun new annual event, Shared Harvest Foodbank is hosting the Food For All Food Truck Rally. A food truck rally brings together many different kinds of cuisine so that people can enjoy great meals no matter their favorite kind of food, all while learning about the realities of hunger in Butler County. This event will occur on September 29th at Marcum Park and the RiversEdge Amphitheater, and will include children’s activities for the first three hours, from noon till 3pm.
“We will have Touch-a-Truck, possibly the Bookmobile, and a face painter, and we are working on many more activities” Tina Osso, Executive Director of Shared Harvest, said. “The Hamilton School District food truck will have children read recipes to create fruit salsa and tomato salsa to take home.”
There will also be cornhole and hopefully some high school bands, as well as plenty of soccer balls and frisbees for children to enjoy while out on the green space at Marcum Park.
The idea for a Food Truck Rally has been months in the making. Lauren Smallwood, the founder of the Hamilton Eats Coalition, says, “The Food for All food truck rally became a goal of a volunteer-led initiative through the Hamilton Eats Coalition. That coalition is a developing committee that seeks to combat hunger while raising awareness. By partnering with Shared Harvest, those goals are able to be met. It has been a hope of mine for a while, and I am excited to see it come to fruition!”
The Food for All food truck rally became a goal of a volunteer-led initiative through the Hamilton Eats Coalition.
Shared Harvest can provide 8 meals for every 1 dollar raised for their organization; this is possible because the food for the food bank is donated by other entities, including businesses. Money donated at this event will be used to provide transportation, warehouse space, and distribution costs to provide food to local food pantries, so these agencies can get food into the hands of those who need it. Shared Harvest also partners with groups serving vulnerable populations, including senior citizens and children, who experience hunger.
“We hope this event will raise the conversation in an atmosphere that isn’t threatening,” Osso explains. “We have problems to solve with hunger here at home and it all starts when people talk about finding solutions. We’ll be giving out a map with a list of hunger myths that allows people to learn the facts about poverty from volunteers around the event.”
From 3pm till 8pm, bands will perform in the RiversEdge Amphitheater, while attendees are still encouraged to partake in the food and beverages available and to learn more from informational exhibits about hunger in our area.
Hamiltonians can get involved in a variety of ways, from volunteering at the event to discuss the truths of hunger with event attendees, to donating money to the organization. Smallwood sees this event as a great combination of enjoying the autumn and increasing awareness.
“I’m thrilled to see yet another event for Hamiltonians and neighboring communities to enjoy while bringing the topic of hunger to the conversation,” Smallwood says. “I hope it will raise awareness to the real issues that our communities, both locally and regionally, face.”
To learn more about volunteering at this event, contact Sarah Ormbrek at sarah@sharedharvest.com.