Rally the tally for Valley to win $1 million to fight hunger

As of Sunday afternoon, the Youngstown-Warren metro area ranked solidly and proudly in first place in the online voting campaign called Fighting Hunger Together.

The Valley had about 72,000 votes, nearly a 20,000-vote lead over second place Johnson City, Tenn., in the nationwide election to win $1 million to ease hunger in our community. Here are a few good reasons why you should vote today and Monday in the Wal-Mart-sponsored contest:

The need is great. Youngstown neighborhoods have the highest poverty rate in the nation at 49.7 percent, according to a recent Brookings Institution study. The Food Research and Action Center ranks the Valley third in food hardship for children among the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas.

According to Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley, 35 percent of food recipients report having to choose between paying for food and paying for medication, 31 percent must choose between paying for food and paying their rent and a whopping 51 percent must choose between paying for food and paying utility bills. What’s more, more than 13,000 people in the Valley rely on food pantries and soup kitchens just to get by each week.

All the money stays in the Valley. Recipients of the prize – such institutions as Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley and Catholic Charities – have distinguished themselves as responsible stewards of charitable dollars to fight hunger and poverty. As leaders of Catholic Charities point out, additional dollars infused into the Valley targeted for hunger could mean additional local dollars available for other praiseworthy poverty-fighting programs.

Winning provides another opportunity to show the nation and the world that Mahoning Valley residents make up a caring, compassionate yet tenacious community.

That’s why we need to keep the clicking frenzy in the Youngstown-Warren area going at rapid-fire pace. Vote today, vote Monday.

To do so, click here.

Also, tell at least 10 of your family members, friends, colleagues and acquaintances to log in their support. Let’s show our spunk, shoot for the stars and rally our Valley tally to 100,000 votes or more by midnight Monday.