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Getting Informed
Most of the time when we think of people going hungry, images of third world countries pop into our mind. But did you know that one in six Americans, many of them children, are not getting enough to eat?
Find out more facts about hunger in the US by taking this online quiz
Watch the short video below by a young film maker in the Faces of Hunger competition
"Food for Thought: What is Hunger in America?"
For a longer film, see the documentary, "A Place at the Table" which is one of the featured films in our first ever Awakened World Film Festival Retreat this October. There are great resources here on their site for things you can do to end hunger in your community.
As you know, obesity is as much a cause for concern in the U.S. as hunger. Read about this seeming paradox and how the two issues may be related: Download PDF
More excellent information can be found at the following websites:
Feeding America
Food Research and Action Center
Food Bank of SBC
A Place at the Table
Dialogue Starters
1. If the above statement is true, what are the most important factors contributing to hunger in your community?
2. Who are the people in your community for whom food scarcity is a daily reality?
3. Do you think it's true that the most affordable food is often the least nutritious? If so, what could be done to change that?
4. What is the relationship between hunger, poverty, and nutrition?
5. What are the effects of hunger and poor nutrition for school age children?
6. Think of some actions you could take as an individual or a group to alleviate the "symptoms" of hunger in your community.
7. Now think of some actions that could be taken to eliminate the causes of hunger in your community.
Suggested Actions
Individual
Donate food or volunteer at a food bank: http://foodpantries.org/
Bring groceries and produce to senior centers or to individuals' homes
Small Group/ Task Force
Hold a food drive at your church or business to benefit a food bank or soup kitchen.
Organize a volunteer team to pick surplus fruit from the trees of neighbors and friends. Donate to a shelter or food bank.
Distribute seed bags and materials to help low income families start a vegetable garden.
Have a community film night and show "Hungry in America".
Large Group/ Organizational Level
Hold food literacy and nutrition classes for kids and their families.
Host a farmer's market at your church.
Organize a farmer's market with cooking lessons for children.
Start a weekend backpack program: Send homeless or low-income kids home with a backback full of groceries to get them through the weekend.
Host a summer picnic in the park: Offer free lunch for kids, food literacy programs, games, cooking classes.
For a full list of program ideas, see: http://www.foodbanksbc.org/programs.html