CANTON -- GardenShare has several activities planned during September to recognize national Hunger Action Month.

A few ways to get involved:

· GardenShare is encouraging people to take part in the “SNAP Challenge” the week of September 10 and try to feed their family for the week on the average Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called food stamps) budget of $4.60 per person per day.

· Sept. 14 is National Hunger Action Day and everyone is encouraged to wear orange to draw attention to the issue of hunger in our region and these important actions to fight it. Since orange is a color associated with the harvest, it is also the color of hunger awareness.

· On Sept. 17, GardenShare will hold its third annual Fight Hunger 5K, a fun run and walkathon to raise money to fight hunger in St. Lawrence County. The event will be held at the Remington Recreation Trail in Canton, with registration starting at 12:30 p.m. Walkers will leave for the 5K trail at 1 p.m. and runners will follow at 1:30. There will be prizes for the top fundraising individual and the top fundraising team.

· Has your family ever received assistance from SNAP or food stamps? You can help break the stigma by sharing your story confidentially through GardenShare.

· GardenShare is also working with Campus Kitchens, the Free Will Dinner at the Canton United Methodist Church, and the Farmers Markets across the County to engage more people as volunteers.

Go to www.gardenshare.org for more information on all of these and a calendar of other activities for Hunger Action Month.

"People often think of hunger in the US as primarily an urban problem," said GardenShare Executive Director Gloria McAdam, "but you only have to look around in the North Country to know that's not true. These counties are among the poorest in New York State.

“Our food pantries and free will dinners are seeing more people all the time. The question to ask is how we solve this problem and reach a point where there are fewer people in line at those programs. At GardenShare, we believe we can solve the problem of hunger, but only if a wide cross-section of the community is involved, and only if we tackle the problem from a variety of angles, including building a strong and vibrant local food system."