The Hunger & Health Coalition and Weight Watchers in Boone are teaming up feed the hungry in Watauga County

Weight Watchers in Boone is encouraging its members to denote their weight loss success by making a donation of nonperishable food to the Hunger and Health Coalition’s Food Pantry program.

Weight Watchers is collecting food from its members, as well as from anyone in the community who is interested in making a donation.

Weight Watchers is also kicking off its second annual Lose For Good campaign, created to raise awareness about two global epidemics – obesity and hunger.

Through Oct. 17, as Weight Watchers members and online subscribers lose weight, the company will donate up to $1 million to two hunger fighting organizations – Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. Last year, the campaign benefited more than 250,000 children and families domestically, and actually represented the difference between life and death for more than 6,000 malnourished children abroad, a spokesperson for Weight Watchers said.

“There is no reason that we should live in a world where children go to bed hungry and a child dies every six seconds from causes related to malnutrition (Source: United Nations),” said David Kirchhoff, president and CEO, Weight Watchers International Inc. “I am proud that our company and our members have embraced Lose For Good and have been inspired and motivated to take control of their personal health goals, while at the same time contributing to the well-being of those in their community and around the world.”

According to Hunger and Health Coalition (HHC) executive director Compton Fortuna, this food drive comes at a critical time for the HHC.

Donations of food items have decreased, forcing the HHC to purchase a larger amount of food for distribution,she said. With the number of local families seeking food assistance on the rise, the HHC desperately needs the food collected in community food drives, so that they can continue to give food to families in need.

The Hunger and Health Coalition operates five food assistance programs which offer an array of services to people in need. Food collected from community food drives is used in the Food Pantry program. The Food Pantry provides a 50- to 60-pound package of food and other items.

Both perishable and nonperishable foods are provided with the pantry package. Families with children can receive pantry packages twice per month; households without children can receive the pantry package once per month.

Fortuna said that the number of families seeking help has increased by around 25 percent, and that the number of families seeking help for the first time has increased, as well. Both statistics reflect the national economic recession that has impacted families on a local level, she said.

The Weight Watchers Food Drive started Aug. 31 and will run through Oct. 17. Donations can be dropped off at the Weight Watchers office, located at the Greenway business park in Boone. Meetings are held at Greenway Business Park in Boone on Mondays at 4:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.

For more information, go to www.weightwatchers.com/loseforgood or call Compton at the Hunger and Health Coalition office at (828) 262-1628.