Media Event TOMORROW (8/24, 10:50 a.m.)
Hunger Hike Celebrates 25th Anniversary &
Purdue Coaches are On Board to Fight Hunger
Lafayette, IN – To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Hunger Hike, two prominent Purdue coaches have been recruited to participate in and promote the need for this important fundraising event. Serving as this year’s Hunger Hike Honorary Co-chairs are Coaches Sharon Versyp (women’s basketball) & Dave Kucik (rowing & crew), who will be speaking about the issues of hunger in Indiana and Haiti and encouraging the entire community to support Hunger Hike 2017, one of the longest running, most well respected fundraising events in our community.

Join us for this kick off event; details are as follows:
  • Date: TOMORROW -- Thursday, August 24
  • Time: 10:50 a.m.
  • Place: Riehle Plaza, N 2nd Street, Lafayette
  • Rain: Lafayette Urban Ministry - Conference Room, 420 N 4th Street, Lafayette

The Hunger Hike updates which will be announced are as follows: 
  • HONORARY CO-CHAIRS: 2017 Co-chairs will offer remarks and be available for questions and one-on-one interviews 
  • Sharon Versyp, Purdue Women’s Basketball head coach
  • David Kucik, Purdue Rowing & Crew Team head coach
  • Hunger Hike 
  • Hunger Hike 3K Walk -- Sunday, September 17, 2 p.m., Riehle Plaza, N 2nd Street, Lafayette. Zumba, DJ music, Hot dogs, Remarks & more.
  • Hunger Hike 5K Run - Saturday, September 16, 9 a.m., Celery Bog Nature Area (Cattail Trail Loop), Cumberland Avenue, West Lafayette
  • EVENT SPONSORS (to date): 
  • Diamond Level -- Lafayette Life Foundation
  • Gold Level -- Cook Medical, The Kroger Co., and Walmart/Sam’s Club

In addition to our Hunger Hike Co-chairs, Coaches Sharon Versyp & Dave Kucik, representatives from the three sponsoring organizations, Lafayette Urban Ministry, Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. & St. Thomas Aquinas Center, will be available for questions and one-on-one interviews.

For more information on Hunger Hike 2017, please visit our website at  www.hungerhike.org.

Contacts:
Joe Micon
Executive Director
Lafayette Urban Ministry

Katy Bunder
CEO/President
Food Finders Food Bank, Inc.

Fr. Patrick Baikauskas, OP
Pastor, Director of Campus Ministry 
St. Thomas Aquinas Center
More Hunger Hike Information
History & Hunger Facts/Statistics
More information: 
Crop Walk and the Hike for Hunger date back to the mid-1960s and early 1970s, respectively. Both events merged in 1992 and the sponsoring organizations renamed the events “Hunger Hike.” This year is the 25th Anniversary of Hunger Hike -- but the fundraising has been around for over 50 years.
All Hunger Hike proceeds directly support the Lafayette Urban Ministry food assistance programs including the St. John’s/LUM Food Pantry, Food Finders Food Bank, Inc., and St. Thomas Aquinas Center’s Haitian Ministry including the Haiti Water Purification Project. Since early 1990s Lafayette Urban Ministry, St. Thomas Aquinas Center and Food Finders Food Bank, Inc. have been organizing a walk to support food programs locally, regionally and globally. 

Hunger Facts:
General Facts/Statistics
  • 1 in 8 people in Indiana struggle with hunger
  • An estimated 26% of individuals who are considered food insecure live in households that earn incomes above 185% of the poverty line, making them likely ineligible for most federal nutrition assistance programs. 
  • Food insecure adults are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure. They are also more likely to report mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, and poor general health. Seniors who are food insecure have a decreased capacity to maintain independence with aging.
Child Hunger Facts/Statistics
  • 1 in 5 children struggle with hunger
  • 24,770, or 18.7%, of children in Food Finders' service area struggle with hunger.
  • In Tippecanoe County, alone, nearly 7,000 children struggle with hunger. More than a quarter of the 24,770 children do not qualify for federal nutrition programs, leaving LUM & Food Finders Food Bank's programs as their only resource. 
  • Children who face hunger are more likely to struggle in school and experience developmental setbacks. Kids who struggle to get enough to eat also face higher risks of health conditions like anemia and asthma.
  • In addition to decreased intellectual and emotional development and poor academic performance, children living in food insecure households are at higher risk of poor physical and mental health. They are substantially more likely to be diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia, asthma, mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, cognitive impairment, and behavioral disorders. They are also at higher risk of being hospitalized. These health problems and the resulting time demands placed on caregivers impact the ability of caregivers to maintain stable employment. 
  • For more information on general hunger statistics, visit Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap site: http://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2015/child/indiana/county/pulaski.
Senior Hunger Facts/ Statistics
  • Indiana has one of the highest rates of senior hunger, with 11.7% of seniors struggling with hunger--that's 631,800 seniors in Indiana.
  • Women are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, 6 out of every 10 food insecure seniors are women. 
  • Seniors struggling with hunger often have to make the difficult decision between paying for rent, medication, or transportation and food. 
  • For seniors, lack of access to healthy foods, or even a stable diet, can lead to life threatening medical conditions, such disability, deteriorating health/ mental health conditions, serious infections, lengthy hospitalization, and malnutrition.
  • The number one health condition caused by food insecurity among seniors is clinical (severe/major) depression.
  • For more information on senior hunger, read The State of Senior Hunger (http://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/our-research/senior-hunger-research/state-of-senior-hunger.html). 
Hunger Hike's Sponsoring Organizations
All Proceeds from Hunger Hike Benefit...