3 ways you can help fight hunger

I learned about the fight against hunger at a young age.

I was five years old and would go to the store each week with my dad to purchase food for a local food pantry. The money was collected at my dad's Rotary Club; we usually had about $60. We made it go a long way. I'll never forget packing our cart with boxed potatoes, canned fruits and vegetables and cereal.

We'd immediately take the food to a church, where they were always happy to see us and thank us on behalf of the people who would be helped. Though it seemed like a lot of food at the time, I remember one woman saying there was never enough donated food to help all of the hungry people.

Now that I'm older, I have an even better understanding of how important it is to fight hunger, around the world and in our own community. I've also come to learn we all can make a difference.

Here are some statistics that shed light on just how big a problem hunger is:

' Around the world, 25,000 people die each day as the result of hunger.

' The average human needs about 2,400 calories per day to remain healthy. While Americans, on average, consume about 3,300 calories per day, 1 billion people eat only 1,500 calories per day.

' 54 nations do not produce enough food to feed their citizens.

' In Johnson County alone, more than 18,000 residents - or 14.2 percent of the population - are food insecure, which means they are without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

So, what can we do to help?

There are countless ways to get involved in the fight against hunger, especially as the holiday season approaches. Here are a couple local opportunities I encourage everyone to check out:

Project Holiday - The Crisis Center of Johnson County has launched its 29th annual Project Holiday campaign. Organizers expect to feed meals to 1,800 families and 4,000 people this year. To get involved, area residents should look for the red and white tags at local businesses and churches in November and December. Bring the tag, along with a $25 donation, to the Crisis Center, 1121 Gilbert Court in Iowa City. Each donation buys a family a meal.

Food Run 5K - The Coralville Community Food Pantry hosts its fourth annual Food Run 5K at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Coralville Youth Sports Complex, 1512 Seventh St. Cost to participate is $25 for individuals and $20 per person for groups of four or more. All proceeds benefit the food pantry. To register, visit cefoodpantry.org.

Donate Food or Money - As I learned when I was five, food pantries are always in need of food. So, you might grab a few extra items next time you're at the store and make a donation to your local pantry. In North Liberty, donation hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In Coralville, donation hours are 11 a.m. to noon Monday; 10-11 a.m. and 2-6 p.m. Tuesday; 10-11 a.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. to noon Thursday; 10-11 a.m. Friday and 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Most food pantries also accept financial contributions they can use to purchase food in bulk at discounted prices.

Hunger is all around us whether we like it or not. We can choose to ignore it or get involved and make a positive difference.

I think back again to that woman at the church when I was five who said there's never enough donated food to help all of the hungry people. My hope for the world is that we all work together to change that equation. The opportunities are there.

So dig in.

' Owen Clark, 12, is a seventh-grader at North Central Junior High School in North Liberty. He is the son of Claire and Rob Clark. Rob is the city editor at The Gazette. Owen originally penned this guest column as a letter to the editor as part of a unit on hunger in his global studies class taught by Alisa Meggitt. Owen recently moved to Iowa from Michigan. He plays clarinet in the school band, sings in the school's show choir, plays on the seventh-grade basketball team and plays travel soccer for FC United.