Why is the Food Bank named The Harry Chapin Food Bank?
In the 1980s, Americans were exposed to the issue of hunger. With instant news reporting, the nation witnessed first hand the effects of human starvation in faraway countries like Biafra and Bangladesh. In the U.S., the long hidden hunger of Appalachia, the Mississippi Delta, and in America’s inner cities was no longer a secret. The problem of childhood hunger – estimated to affect more than 16 million children in the U.S. – began to attract attention (According to the USDA, an estimated 16.7 million children lived in food insecure -low food security and very low food security- households in 2008). Part of this new awareness of hunger in the 1980’s came through music, stories, and acts of conscience that manifested themselves in events like Live Aid or songs like “We Are the World”. Few would dispute that one of the most inspiring individuals at the start of America’s growing consciousness about hunger was Harry Chapin. Harry was a popular songwriter and folk/rock performer (Taxi, Cats
