WhyHunger is the organization at the heart of Hungerthon, the yearly charity event broadcast today on many stations, primarily owned by CBS Radio.

Started in 1975, this year’s event takes on a special need–victims of Superstorm Sandy. The devastation altered the airing of Hungerthon, which traditionally runs close to Thanksgiving.

“Hurricane Sandy created a crisis that was front and center in everyone’s minds and life experience,” Noreen Springstead, director of marketing and fundraising for WhyHunger, tells FishbowlNY. “Families who had never before been without food or shelter were forced to endure these hardships for the first time, and many are still struggling to meet their basic needs.”

Despite the agency’s focus on the long-term poverty crisis, WhyHunger partnered with numerous tri-state groups to provide essential food and water to those struggling in the days and weeks since Sandy.

“Through Hungerthon’s many public service shows we are shining a spotlight on those organizations and also raising funds for their work,” Springstead says. “We have long-term relationships with the most effective organizations in New York and New Jersey that are solving the hunger problem and are able to support them during this critical time.”

Springstead says those in need can call the national hotline at 1-866-3-Hungry for assistance.

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In case you missed any of our special feature 9/11: New York Remembers, today we’re observing the 10th anniversary of the tragic day linking back to the entire series.

• After an introduction, we began on August 19 with the memories of famed anchors Ernie Anastos, Bill Ritter, and Chuck Scarborough.
• On Monday, August 22, we returned with one-time WABC/Channel 7 reporter Jeff Rossen describing the horrific scene at ground zero.
• Longtime WINS reporter John Montone had his own struggles dealing with the disaster.
• On August 24, we offered the account of two veteran NY1 reporters.
• Tom Kaminski, well-known to WCBS-AM listeners for his chopper reporting, was in the air during 9/11.
• Another well-known radio personality is Harry Harrison who, with his familiar style, was an important part of the healing process.

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John Montone is a longtime morning mainstay at 1010 WINS. He is most associated with his “person on the street” interviews that allow him some license. Montone can have some fun finding the quirky, off-beat slices of humanity.

However, without missing a beat, when developments warrant Montone gets serious, jumping into breaking news mode.

News was at its most serious on September 11, 2001, as we continue with our special series–9/11: New York Remembers.  

The biggest story prior to 8:46 a.m. was Primary Day in New York City. Montone worked that story from the Upper East Side. After going live, Montone was in the process of filing his taped reports.

He was paged by the station that a “small plane” hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center.

Even if initial reports were accurate, Montone knew it was still a big story.

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