Working to End Hunger in America
NASCAR champ Jeff Gordon was part of the effort to eliminate hunger among older Americans
Photo by Tom Smith
LaDonna Pope of Cincinnati says "It's a blessing" to harvest fresh vegetables from a community garden and donate them to a local senior center.
En español | More than 5.8 million nutritious meals were provided to hungry adults in 2011 through Drive to End Hunger, the multi-year effort by AARP and its charitable affiliate, AARP Foundation, to eliminate hunger among people 50+. A small but important part of the effort involved fruits and vegetables grown in community gardens that were tended by AARP members such as LaDonna Pope of Cincinnati. "This is just such a blessing," Pope said of the opportunity.
Many other people with big hearts and caring spirits from across the United States — many of them NASCAR fans — helped both to feed hungry adults and to raise awareness of the problem.
Other 2011 achievements of Drive to End Hunger:
- Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon raised awareness about senior hunger before, during and after racing in the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet.
- NASCAR fans and other community residents donated thousands of pounds of groceries during local food drives, many of which were organized around Jeff Gordon's races.
- Vulnerable adults began getting financial help with buying groceries after learning about SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) from AARP and AARP Foundation.