Cindy Uken | Contributed

For Hunger Action Month® this September, FIND Food Bank will join Feeding America and 200 network food banks to inspire people to take action and raise awareness of locals in the Coachella Valley and Hi-Desert facing food insecurity.

Record high prices at the gas pump and grocery stores are dragging on longer than expected, pushing more working people into food bank lines. FIND is engaging with the public through fundraising and awareness events to leave no local hungry.

“Hunger Action Month is a time when our community comes together to learn and raise awareness of hunger because while we’re making strides in our United States to meet people’s needs, we still have many people who are experiencing food insecurity,” FIND CEO Debbie Espinosa said. “Our service numbers are not back to pre-pandemic levels, and a lot of that has to do with the increasing cost of food and gas. Though we have many employed people, their salaries have not increased at the same rate as the necessities in life. That’s why we count on our community to volunteer, donate, and advocate for their neighbors facing food insecurity this month and year-round.”

FIND Food Bank serves more than 150,000 people on average each month who are struggling to make ends meet while inflation shrinks their household budgets. FIND’s efforts are also challenged by the increases in sourcing and transportation costs, fewer corporate food donations, and the end of pandemic federal nutrition programs.

During September, businesses, city governments, and individuals across the Coachella Valley and Hi-Desert can participate by donating, volunteering, learning, and speaking up about ways to fight hunger.

Go Orange

Nine Coachella Valley cities, Twentynine Palms, and the McCallum Theater and Desert Care Network, including the El Mirador tower at the Desert Regional Medical Center, are lighting up orange throughout September. Orange is the color of hunger awareness because it stands out when hunger is too often a hidden issue. When you see a city hall or monument lit orange, take a moment to speak out about hunger online, sign up for a volunteer event, or donate to support your neighbors facing food insecurity.

Dine, Shop, and Donate for Hunger Relief

Restaurants, hotels, retail stores, and entertainment venues across the Coachella Valley and Hi-Desert are offering special food and beverage items, events, fundraisers, retail specials, and virtual food drives, with a portion of proceeds going to support FIND Food Bank’s hunger relief efforts.

Sponsor is Pioneertown Motel, Pioneertown, Hi-Desert.

Partnering Businesses are:

Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs

Birba, Palm Springs

Cork & Fork, Heirloom Craft Kitchen, and Tu Madres Cantina, Indio, and La Quinta

Desert Beer Company, Palm Desert

Desert Wine Shop on 111, Palm Desert

Eight4Nine, Palm Springs

Grill-A-Burger, Palm Desert

Hotel Paseo, Palm Desert

Kimpton Rowan Hotel, Palm Springs

La Fe Wine Bar, Palm Desert

Perfect Pint, Palm Desert

PS Underground, Palm Springs

Starbucks, 37 participating locations in the Coachella Valley region

Hunger Action Month is a time to mobilize to end hunger. You can choose to donate or advocate. You can choose to volunteer or raise awareness. You can choose to help end hunger.

About FIND Food Bank

Founded in 1983, FIND Food Bank is the Desert’s Regional Food Bank serving over 5,000 square miles, including eastern Riverside and southern San Bernardino Counties, from the Hi-Desert and Joshua Tree across the Coachella Valley to Anza, down to the Salton Sea and the border of CA and AZ. FIND is the largest hunger-relief and food rescue organization in the region. They are the Feeding America food bank for the Coachella Valley desert region, recognized as the USDA distributor for eastern Riverside County and the County of Riverside, and the State of CA as the regional Disaster Response food bank. FIND’s mission is to end hunger today, tomorrow, and for a lifetime. To end hunger for Today, FIND currently feeds an average of 150,000 individuals, families, children, seniors, and veterans each month. Their 150 distribution sites include over 80 community agency partnerships (soup kitchens, religious organizations, and local nonprofits) and 44 Community Mobile Markets that serve food deserts and low-income areas. FIND’s two distribution centers in the Coachella Valley and Hi-Desert help ensure equitable food distribution for all. To end hunger for Tomorrow, FIND offers outreach services to connect people who are food insecure with benefits programs that improve financial security. FIND works to end hunger for a Lifetime by identifying the root causes of hunger to break cycles of food insecurity and achieve self-sufficiency.

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