To the editor:

September has been designated Hunger Action Month by Feeding America, the largest charity working to end hunger in the United States. That makes it the perfect time to consider what you can do to help your friends and neighbors in the local community who are struggling to put food on the table for themselves and their families.

Your local food bank is an excellent place to start. Organizations like the St. John’s Lodge Food Bank in Portsmouth are working hard to expand their ability to provide nutritious food to the those in need. In fact, we recently launched the Fresh Food Initiative, a program designed to procure fresh meat and produce from local farmers and merchants to distribute to food-insecure members of our community.

To learn how you can help, please visit our website, stjohnslodgeno1.org/foodbank, or the website of your food bank of choice. Your donation, no matter its size, will have an immediate and positive impact on our efforts. As we often remind our grateful patrons, we’re all in this together.

Mary Anne Crittenden

President, St. John’s Lodge Food Bank

81 Sprague St.

Portsmouth