TERRE HAUTE —
When you’re really hungry, it’s almost impossible to think about anything but food.
That’s why Catholic Charities works hard to feed thousands of needy people in the Wabash Valley, said Jennifer Buell, development director of the nonprofit organization.
And that’s why Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of the Wabash Valley are once again launching Orange Friday, a day when everyone gets a chance to help put food on the table of a needy child or adult.
“The whole focus of your life changes” when don’t have enough to eat, Buell said Wednesday at an Orange Friday planning meeting in Terre Haute.
When children are hungry, they cannot focus on school work, Buell said. Many Wabash Valley children are happy to return to school after a vacation or weekend because they know they can eat, she said.
“They are so hungry, that’s all they can think about,” Buell said.
To help reduce this problem in the seven Wabash Valley counties served by Catholic Charities, VNA Hospice hopes to raise $10,000 in a single day — the Friday before Thanksgiving. One week later, “Black Friday,” many people spend hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts. VNA Hospice of the Wabash Valley would like everyone to first contribute a little to help those in the greatest need, said Robin Heng, a registered nurse at VNA Hospice.
Orange Friday was launched three years ago and raised $3,000 in 2011. This year, the effort is expanding, with a much bigger fundraising goal and plans to include many more organizations and businesses. “This is really, really important to our community,” Heng said.
VNA Hospice will be selling orange ribbons for $3 each. All money raised will help those served by Catholic Charities food banks, Heng said.
Organizers hope to create competitive challenges between rival entities in the area, further motivating folks to sell as many orange ribbons as they can. Schools, hospitals, nursing homes, media entities and others it is hoped will participate, they said. About one in every six adults in the Wabash Valley is “food insecure,” Buell said. For children the figure is one in four, she said.
If Orange Friday raises $10,000, that will provide 40,000 meals for the approximately 41,000 needy people in the Wabash Valley, Buell said. “I think that’s a wonderful goal.”
For more information or to order orange ribbons to sell, contact VNA Hospice of the Wabash Valley at (812) 232-7611.
Reporter Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
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