(NAPSI)—There’s helpful news for volunteers and programs looking for an opportunity to fight hunger. That’s good news for those in need of aid.

A new map has been created to help identify the level of hunger in a particular area, the programs active in the region and places where volunteers are needed.

A National Problem

Research provided by the group Feeding America indicates that hunger exists to one degree or another all throughout the country. For example, more than 16 percent of Californians live with what’s called food insecurity.

Food insecurity is defined as a lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members. It’s not just having enough food-it’s also about having the right foods.

In Florida, it’s thought that just over 17 percent of people there are food insecure. Even in Iowa, the breadbasket of America, more than 12 percent of people go to bed hungry.

On the Front Line

When it comes to fighting hunger, nonprofits are on the front line providing services—from collecting donations to operating food pantries and more—to those who need them, especially during the holidays.

Volunteer, and you can make an impact in a number of ways- whether ensuring that children aren’t hungry at school or providing the elderly with at least one hot meal a day.

Unfortunately, volunteers aren’t always clear about where the greatest need exists for their efforts. To help, VolunteerMatch has partnered with the Walmart Foundation as part of the Foundation’s $2 billion commitment to fighting hunger. The result is a map of volunteer needs in the U.S. that pertain to hunger.

For example, those who recently viewed the map at VolunteerMatch.org could see that there were, at that time, over 3,000 ways to fight hunger identified at over 8,000 organizations seeking volunteers.

VolunteerMatch is the Web’s largest volunteer engagement network. It was founded in 1998 and has helped connect millions of volunteers to great nonprofits.

To learn more or to view the map, visit www.volunteermatch.org/fighthunger.

 

On the Net:North American Precis Syndicate, Inc.(NAPSI)