Hunger Fighter Interview: Megan Emme
New Media Producer Jessie Chen interviewed Revolution Hunger’s own Megan Emme about here incredible work fighting hunger. Check it out—this is what RevHunger is all about!
Growing Solutions To Hunger in San Francisco
By Sophie Solomon, member of the Revolution Hunger Outreach Team in San Francisco
Last January, I started volunteering at The Free Farm, a community garden in San Francisco. Each Saturday I would help harvest produce grown on-site at the Free Farm and then work at the Farm Stand, where we would give out the produce to members of the surrounding community. The people who stopped by the farm came from all different backgrounds. There was the Italian woman living next door with her ninety year old mother, and the man who stopped by and shared his latest trial-and-error gardening stories.
There were also the people who looked like they were in desperate need of food. And while it was obvious that these people were hungry, I couldn’t make a judgement as to whether the other people who seemed to be okay needed food. I learned at The Free Farm that no matter how well-off a person may seem, we never know their true situations. It isn’t right to make a judgment about someone’s need based on a rash assumption. After all, 197,000 people in San Francisco live at or below the poverty line, more than one-seventh of all San Francisco citizens.
From my experience with The Free Farm I learned about Urban Sprouts’ Summer Sprouts Summer Camp Program at Garden for the Environment, another garden in San Francisco. It was in this program that I learned more about food deserts, areas where healthy, affordable food is hard to find. The Hunters Point/Bayview Area in San Francisco is a food desert, there are no local grocery stores where residents have easy, affordable access to healthy food.
With both my work at The Free Farm and Urban Sprouts I have learned a lot about the issue of hunger in San Francisco. Before these experiences I had no idea how huge of an issue it was and after going through them I realized that I wanted to do my part to help fight hunger. Through working with Revolution Hunger I hope to be able to share the knowledge I learned through my experiences with other teens in San Francisco and hopefully inspire them to help in the fight against hunger!
Fighting Hunger in Minnesota
RevHunger’s very own Alexcia Jellum is now blogging on the Star-Tribune website! Click on the link above to read the post, here’s a little preview:
When I first looked at the issue of hunger I saw the shocking statistics and the huge number of people affected. I didn’t know how my voice could have an effect. But it can and yours can too! I’ve started to look at hunger differently. People all around us, even in Minnesota, struggle with hunger.
Check out the awesome work going on at Half United! They’re fighting hunger in style—really fresh styles—and these are a few of the places that they’re helping.
Everyone knows that hunger is a big issue. But what can teens do about it? At Revolution Hunger, our answer is: everything!
On RevolutionHunger.org, you can take a personality quiz to find out what type of Hunger Fighter you are. From there, you can create your account and get started fighting hunger. Whatever your talents are, you can use them to fight hunger. From videos to volunteering, the Revolution Hunger Campaign does it all!
Revolution Hunger isn’t just for teens, teens are also our leaders! Our youth teams have made awesome videos, educated high school classes about hunger, and volunteered in the community. And we’ve been fighting hunger all across America.
So get started fighting hunger your way. Join us at RevolutionHunger.org now!
Hunger in Illinois
Guest Post By Kaleigh Friend
At Central Illinois Foodbank, we distribute food to soup kitchens and food pantries in 21 counties which we collect from grocery stores, manufacturers, and local donations, as well as food that comes from Feeding America and USDA. Last year we distributed over 8 MILLION pounds of food to the agencies we work with- all on a staff of just 14 people.
Hunger is an issue that effects people in all walks of life. Here in central Illinois, we know that specifically in the children population, 1 in 4 kids don’t know where their next meal will come from. As our area is largely a rural population, there may be many miles between grocery stores and the issue of hunger is stigmatized and kept quiet.
So, how can you get involved and help out? Visit our website at www.CentralILfoodbank.org or check us out on Facebook, Twitter, even Pinterest.
Kaleigh Friend is the Public Relations Manager at Central Illinois Foodbank
How does a the Foodbank work?
This is a question I didn’t fully understand the answer to when I began working here. However, this flowchart does a pretty good job of simplifying and explaining the process.
Of course, there are other pieces to the process, but this is the big picture.
Hope this helps you better understand what we do!
Food Bank Milk Jug Ad
Fighting Hunger, Feeding America
By Ryan Young
When we think about hunger, we might associate the issue with people living outside of the United States, but you may be surprised to learn that hunger is also an issue that affects millions of people right here in America. Feeding America’s mission is to feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage the country in the fight to end hunger. As the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, more than 200 food bank members help 61,000 agencies provide food to more than 37 million Americas each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. You can learn more about your local food bank and what they are doing to address hunger by visiting FeedingAmerica.org.
America is often referred to as the land of plenty. While that is true in many ways, it is also true that 1 in 6 Americans are struggling with hunger. Many believe that the problems associated with hunger only exist in specific communities, particular neighborhoods, or certain parts of the country. The reality is that there is no one of face of hunger. Hunger is an issue everywhere in America and these people are usually hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and must go without food. No matter where you live, in an urban, suburban or rural community, those around you can be struggling with hunger.
Hunger can affect many groups of people, but one group that suffers greatly is children. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 16.2 million children under the age of 18 in the United States live in households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. Children who struggle with hunger are more likely to have poor physical and mental health, have trouble in school, and develop behavioral issues. Although hunger is harmful to everyone, it can be particularly devastating for children because of their vulnerability and potential future consequences.
Feeding America serves approximately 14 million children, over 3 million of which are ages 5 and under. We fight child hunger through a number of national programs like the BackPack Program, Kids Cafe, and School Pantry Programs. For more than 15 years, the Feeding America Backpack Program has helped fight child hunger by providing hungry children with healthy and easy-to-prepare food during times when other resources as not available, such as weekends and school vacations. Today, backpacks are assembled at more than 150 food banks and distributed to nearly 230,000 children every year! You can use the Food Bank Locator to see how you can help fight child hunger in your community.
Kat is a testament to how the Feeding America BackPack Program has changed the lives of children across America. Kat lived in a household where food was not always available and she felt many of the effects linked to hunger including physical discomfort and difficultly concentrating in school.
Three Square Food Bank, a Feeding America member food bank, began a BackPack Program at Kat’s local high school during her senior year and because of the BackPack Program, Kat’s grades improved greatly and she no longer felt the physical pains of hunger. You can hear more about Kat’s story in the video below and on the Feeding America blog.
It may seem like hunger is an issue that is way too difficult for one person to solve, but together we can all join in the fight to end hunger for millions of people in America. Some ways you can help are by volunteering at the local food bank in your community, hosting a virtual food drive , collecting donations, or informing your family, friends, and followers on Facebook and Twitter! With nearly 49 million people in America struggling with hunger, it is going to take your help and the help of many other Americans to change the issue of hunger in America.
Feeding America intern Ryan Young was born and raised in Chicago and graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a BS in Media and Cinema Studies. Ryan is a marathoner, devoted older brother and social media enthusiast with a passion for fighting hunger in America!
Record Number of Minnesotans Seek Food Help
I recently read about the landscape of the hunger scene in Minnesota. In 2011 we reached a record number of Minnesotans needing assistance, to feed themselves and their families. In fact, more than the population of Duluth and Minneapolis combined are on food stamps. Though this fact is unsettling, the amount of people who began using food shelves this is year was dramatically lower than in previous years. Down to 9.8 percent from 21.8%. These numbers show a step in the right direction, but also show a continuation of the recent rend.
Many families in Minnesota are having a hard time regaining economic standing since the recession. This problem is the source for many families struggle against hunger. I believe that the many problems such as; the unemployment issue, need to be addressed before these numbers can begin to decline. Even as I look around at my peers I see it has become increasingly common to have an unemployed parent, or a need for some form of government assistance.
In the articles I checked out, many volunteers and food service coordinators were worried that the Status quo, being the increased need for food help, may become the norm. But I know that we all can do something to change this situation! At Revolution Hunger, we are striving to find a way to integrate the hunger fight into the daily lives of everyone. We want to inspire a lasting change, one that each of us can contribute to in our own unique way!
Alexcia Jellum is the Twin Cities New Media Producer for the Revolution Hunger Campaign. Alexcia is a senior at Central High School. She wants to Major in communications and minor in film, an is a firm believer that creativity can have a profound impact.
