by Ed Nicholson

Note: I’ve decided to go back and repost some things from years past that are still timely. This one originally posted in June of 2010. It remains relevant as we approach the end of the school year. Ed

As I post this on Friday afternoon, tens of thousands of kids at risk of hunger around the country are being sent home from school with backpacks full of food thanks to innovative programs such as the one Janet Kniffin, Chief Development Officer for the Connecticut Foodbank, describes in the video above. Were it not for these programs, many would go hungry over the weekend, since school lunches are their primary source of nutrition.

Soon school will be out for the summer. What happens then? Many communities have solutions. Many don’t.

Do your local schools have backpack programs? If not, what happens during the summer?

There’s a tremendous hunger community in this country.   I’ve learned so much from them over the past thirteen years, and am always interested in being part of the stimulating discussion that can occur when two or more get together.

But that discussion just doesn’t seem to be happening online.

I learned a lot of what I know about PR from the CompuServe PR forum.  It was a great community of folks, always involved in rich discussion, moderated by people who truly knew the business.

I’m a musician.  I love to talk about music, musical equipment, production techniques and such.   I’ve spent countless hours and learned a ton in a community created in The Gear Page forum.

Want to learn about Toyota 4-Runners ?    Soccer?    Bodybuilding?   There’s a vibrant discussion going on somewhere about almost anything you can think about.

Hunger?  Maybe not so much.

Isn’t hunger as important as all these things?  Where’s the discussion/community?     If there isn’t one, why the heck not?   Hunger folks are intelligent and passionate.   Normally not afraid to express their opinions. I ask again: Is this discussion occurring somewhere of which I’m not aware?

Guest post by Kelly Nuckolls

Students and faculty from more than 50 colleges, universities, and hunger groups from across the United States and seven countries attended the 8th Annual Universities Fighting World Hunger Food Summit in Overland Park, Kansas, March 2nd-4th. This was the first time the event was hosted by a coalition of institutions. Under the leadership of Kansas Campus Compact, the Kansas Board of Regents, and the Kansas Independent College Association, the entire sector of higher education in Kansas came together to plan the Summit, with the goal of “Raising the Volume.”

The volume was raised throughout the weekend as students, faculty, administrators, political officials, and hunger relief organizations from all over the world came together at the Food Summit to share best practice models; listen to keynote addresses from Ritu Sharma of Women Thrive, Dr. Alastair Summerlee of the University of Guelph, and Max Finberg of the U. S. Department of Agriculture; all with the goal of ending hunger by empowering the younger generation.

I am proud as a Kansas college student to have been a part of the collaborative efforts to raise the volume all weekend long. The conference motivated and inspired us to make our noise heard –college students will eliminate hunger in our lifetime. Mike Giancola of North Carolina State University stated at the final closing session that he hoped in twenty years we would no longer be meeting at a Hunger Summit. The work being done at higher education institutions worldwide reassures that this will happen. Students, faculty, and administrators are continuing to increase campus efforts to address hunger in new and innovative ways that provide students with the opportunities and resources to fix this global problem.

As the three-day event came to an end, attendees were called to action. Students were reminded of the importance of everyday acts of citizenship that can make an impact in the world. I had the opportunity to demonstrate to the conference how simple political action can be, even for a student, by making a call over speaker phone to Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-KS) (watch it now by clicking here). The goal was to show conference attendees how simple it is to engage in efforts that will put an end to starvation and hunger across the globe.

Conference attendees responded to the call to action. The day after the conference, Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), proposed a 36 billion dollar cut to SNAP (food stamps). The volume of the Food Summit was heard in Washington D.C.—approximately 130 attendees made the call to Senator Roberts office to be a voice for the hungry.

Answer the call by learning more about this unique learning experience and the opportunity to become a global leader in the fight against hunger, as well as the efforts made toward ending hunger at the 2013 UWFH Food Summit. I encourage viewing the conference material on the 8^th Annual Food Summit website. Check out the re-cap video made by Fort Hays State University student Becca Kohl by clicking here. Now is the time to raise the volume in every corner of the earth to making ending hunger a priority.

Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH) is the catalyst for over 300 chapter colleges and universities who engage in international programming across the globe to make fighting hunger a core value of higher education institutions worldwide.

 Kelly Nuckolls is a student at Fort Hays State University and member of the UFWH planning committee.

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Food for thought.

To break into the national consciousness anymore it seems you have to either shout something divisive or unearth a scintillating scandal.
Nothing chews up a month of news cycle like imaginary girlfriends, sports doping and apocalyptic gun-control debates.
Old standbys such as hunger and under nourishment don’t stand a chance.
Maybe if the hunger-relief community was advocating for packin’ heat rather than packin’ food baskets the profile of domestic food insecurity would be raised a smidge. Of course that’s ridiculous. And that’s the point.
The fact is 15 percent of Americans are food insecure, according to Feeding America. Food insecurity is a nickel term for hunger, and it basically means those affected routinely lack adequate access to nutritious food. Frequently, they choose between food and paying bills.
That’s one in six people. That means most likely someone you know is affected.
Gun control is of course a relevant and serious topic. Obviously, there’s no real intent here to blend hunger into that quarrel.
It’s safe to say however there will be those who would never have clicked on this post if it wasn’t for the misleading headline.
Despite the fact 74 percent of Feeding America’s food pantries report ongoing increases in the number of clients that come to them for help, it’s hard to cut through the daily clutter. Over-hyped issues – significant and trivial – smother out discussions on less-sexy fodder.
Hunger is simply not naughty or politically polarizing enough for the talk-format media heads to foam at the mouth over. It’s far easier to get lost in the distraction of Justin Bieber mooning a camera, the latest Kardashian kerfuffle or an all-out shouting match about nuances of the fiscal cliff.
There are other reasons, too.
There’s the stigma of being food insecure that causes many to be unwilling to speak. There’s also the chance many feel overwhelmed by the scope of the problem. Or, with so many organizations and dollars being thrown at the issue maybe the consensus is someone else will carry the load.
Meanwhile, more than 16 million of America’s hungry are children. With guaranteed federal budget belt-tightening on the way that number is apt to get higher.
In order to generate better engagement about the issue of hunger, we’re going to have to continue to find innovative ways to tell the story.
That should start with some transparency, a good dose of passion, and yes even a sprinkle of the creative if we are to be heard.

For the third year in a row, the AgChat Foundation is leading an effort to generate awareness and gratitude for those who put food on our tables.  If you’d like to learn more about it, go over to #FoodThanks. Here’s my post from the first year. I think it’s still relevant:

I’m one of the lucky ones. I have a tremendous family, good health, and live in the best country in the world. Lots for which to be thankful. I also have one of the best jobs in the world. Every day, my job reminds me of how thankful I should be. You see, neither I nor any of my family has ever gone hungry.

While I stand on a high hill watching people being fed, I also get to look in another direction and get a panoramic view of food being grown, produced and taken to market. Because I know how many people and how much work is involved in that process, it’s easy for me to be grateful for the Thanksgiving meal I’ll share with my family this year.

I’m thankful for the farmers, no matter their size and production techniques. Without them, none of us would be fed. Farming’s hard work that takes a commitment that goes way beyond that of simply making a living.

I’m thankful for the people who pick up, process and deliver food to market. Also hard work, often with very thin margins, and certainly no guarantees of success. Some of them are my own teammates, so I get to see up close and personal how passionate they are about feeding people. I’m humbled and honored to be able to share the products of their hard work.

I’m thankful for people in grocery stores, farmer’s markets, restaurants, institutional kitchens, food banks, food pantries, soup kitchens—anywhere food is conveyed to those of us who will consume it.

I’m thankful that we live in a country that produces a bounty of food. I’m hopeful we’ll continue to explore new ways that bounty can be shared among those who don’t have enough. I’m also hopeful that any changes we make in the way we produce food will allow us to continue to feed our country, in addition to many across the globe.

Now let us give thanks.

This is Olga.

Olga lost everything in Superstorm Sandy on Staten Island.   Everything.   Her house washed out to sea.  Yet for the past nine days, Olga has been coming to the Tyson Meals That Matter trailer and volunteering long hours to help the team make meals for storm victims and relief volunteers.

If you ever think you’re having a bad day, look at Olga.    If you ever start thinking highly of yourself because of how you give back, look at Olga.     If you ever need some inspiration, look at Olga.

Thanks, Olga.

A donation of 34,000 pounds of food kicked off the fairs. It was given to the Mississippi Food Network from the Urban League of Greater Jackson, Jackson State University and Tyson Foods.

 There were a lot of great moments, and some of the highlights are available here. But it’s increasingly clear the most important gathering is ongoing.

 There has been a proliferation of organizations and resources aimed at curbing hunger for Mississippi, which leads the nation in food insecurity. Several groups have been at it awhile, and here are a few of the lead entities engaged at present:

•  The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi
• The Mississippi Food Policy Council
• The Urban League-Tyson Foods Hunger Project Mississippi
• The Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity
• The Extra Table and Sysco Corp.

There are others, including a growing number of efforts by political leaders. Lasting success will likely require a coalition of public and private entities working together.

 There will be at least two more opportunities this fall that can help lend traction. The Urban League-Tyson Foods Hunger Project will conduct a SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Challenge on Nov. 13 in Jackson, and a day later The Mississippi Food Policy Council is holding a conference.

 Contact those organizations for more information, and also take a minute to visit all of these groups and see where your own effort might fit in. There’s plenty of room at the table for those who want to make a real difference.

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