ALAMOSA — La Puente is proud to announce the series of events for the “2018 Hunger Education Week.”  The goal of Hunger Education Week is to educate residents of the Valley on hunger-related issues and to challenge community members to participate in a least one of the events this week in an effort to eradicate hunger.

In order to understand what hunger looks like in the San Luis Valley, one must understand that it doesn’t just hide in the fringes of the community. With over 13,000 unduplicated individuals utilizing one of the 15 pantries in La Puente’s Food Bank Network last year, it’s clear that food insecurity in the Valley is an endemic problem. Here in these rural communities, one in four feel the effects of hunger and reach out for assistance to feed their family.

The Annual CROP Walk is set for tomorrow, Sunday, April 22 at Cole Park.

On Tuesday, the Valley Educational Gardens Initiative (VEGI) is hosting a Garden in a Box workshop. Over the years, VEGI has helped community members install hundreds of garden boxes throughout the valley to make fresh produce more accessible for everyone in the community. This workshop is designed to provide resources and materials for the recipients of the garden boxes so they can feed themselves and their neighbors healthy, locally grown food.

On Wednesday, April 25, volunteers will be at Safeway and City Market from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  The Food Bank Network depends on 13 tons of food donated from individual donors and local food drives. Join volunteers as they try to “Fill the Van.” Drop by and donate to the Food Bank Network!

On Thursday, join La Puente staff at SquarePeg Brewerks from 4-6 p.m. for a Hunger Advocacy Happy Hour to advocate for those experiencing food insecurity in the San Luis Valley. This is a great opportunity to exercise one’s civic voice, learn about legislation that will affect all Coloradans, and encourage congress to act to support hunger relief efforts.

The week will conclude with the Alamosa Food Bank hosting a Pop-Up Tour in collaboration with Cooking Matters on Friday, April 27 from 1-3 p.m. Participants will learn about different aspects of nutrition and receive pointers on how to shop for healthy foods. Those who complete the tour will receive a $10 gift card to City Market.

Hunger is real and alive, but it can be solved. For more information visit www.lapuente.net/news or email the La Puente Office of Community Education at  [email protected].