Giving is the watchword of the holiday season. And stretching your dollar is important, even where it pertains to charitable giving.

For every dollar you donate to a local food bank, they are able to leverage it to anywhere between $5 and $10 worth of food and services. They do it by buying in bulk, using volunteer labor, and working with local manufacturers, retailers, and farmers. So while food donations are appreciated, money makes a bigger impact.

Consider this: the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank can buy $5 worth of food and services for every $1 donated. Feeding America, the national hunger-relief charity, can turn $1 into eight meals. Those are encouraging numbers for a growing hunger epidemic that affects 49 million Americans—16 million of them children.

Akoya makes a monetary donation every year to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank because we know the need is great and the impact is big. But ultimately, whatever the gift (big or small, cans or cash), please, just consider giving.

How is your community affected by hunger? Check out Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap for an at-a-glance, interactive map showing the impact of hunger in your area.

Giving is the watchword of the holiday season. And stretching your dollar is important, even where it pertains to charitable giving.

For every dollar you donate to a local food bank, they are able to leverage it to anywhere between $5 and $10 worth of food and services. They do it by buying in bulk, using volunteer labor, and working with local manufacturers, retailers, and farmers. So while food donations are appreciated, money makes a bigger impact.

Consider this: the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank can buy $5 worth of food and services for every $1 donated. Feeding America, the national hunger-relief charity, can turn $1 into eight meals. Those are encouraging numbers for a growing hunger epidemic that affects 49 million Americans—16 million of them children.

Akoya makes a monetary donation every year to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank because we know the need is great and the impact is big. But ultimately, whatever the gift (big or small, cans or cash), please, just consider giving.

How is your community affected by hunger? Check out Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap for an at-a-glance, interactive map showing the impact of hunger in your area.