Hunger No More

Reprinted from the Looked with Compassion blog, (Dec. 12, 2015 post)

By Rev. Greg Henneman

There are many injustices of our culture that we tolerate as normal. We assume that the way things are is how they have always been and how they will always be. Although the human spirit continually shows potential for amazing things, we limit our creativity when we simply accept poverty as normal.

Yesterday, nearly 200 people came together to no longer accept situation normal. Leaders of faith communities, non-profits, and medical systems raised their hands in a commitment to end hunger in Ohio.

Yes, end hunger. Why not?

David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, shared the story of recently visiting Bangladesh. He had previously lived in Bangladesh and saw a noticeable improvement in the homes people lived in, streets, infrastructure, and health of the children. Beckmann stated that since 1990 the number of people in the world living in extreme poverty fell from two billion to one billion.

This led me to wonder, if noticeable change can happen in Bangladesh, why not here?

Ambassador Tony Hall shared the story of Mother Teresa grabbing his hand and showing him that with his five fingers he could remember five words: for the least of these. Hall described hunger as a political issue. That the effort to end hunger is not a matter of finding the resources but the will to end hunger. 

With 48 million food insecure people in the United States, Hall asked shouldn’t this be one of the most important issues? What are you doing about hunger?

Ending hunger is not a matter of food supply. We have plenty of food. Nearly 40 percent of the food in America is wasted.

Hunger is a health issue.

Hunger not only results in billions of dollars of medical costs, but real people and whole communities who experience diabetes, hypertension, and low birth weights because of our lack of creativity to end hunger.

Will you raise your hand to end hunger in our country, your state, your community? In 2015, no one needs to go hungry. Hunger is a basic human right.

Next time your hand brings a piece of food to your mouth, remember the words of Mother Teresa, “for the least of these.”

How are your hands being used so no one else’s hands shake with hunger?

(Editors note. There was a similar conference in Albuquerque in May 2015. Read more here)

Learn About Roadrunner Food Banks Program to Link Health and Hunger

 

Quarterly Meeting on Tuesday, February 9  12 Noon

First Presbyterian Church (I-25 and Martin Luther King Blvd.)

Alissa Barnes, director of Community Initiatives at Roadrunner Food Bank, will talk about the food banks new program on health and hunger.  Alissa is a member of the Interfaith Hunger Coalitions Advocacy Committee.

Our Education and Advocacy Committees will also present updates of their work over the past several weeks.  We are also seeking volunteers to serve on a committee to plan an Interfaith Service for World Food Day on Sunday, October 16, 2016

Data shows us that food insecurity and health go hand in hand. Food-insecure individuals are more likely to experience colds, stomach aches and migraines and suffer from generally poorer health than food secure individuals. In 2014, Feeding America conducted the Hunger in America study and found some staggering statistics  about New Mexico’s pantry clients:

• Nearly half (46%) report being in poor or fair health;
• 59% report choosing between paying for medicine or medical care or buying food at least once in the past 12 months;
• 44% of hungry households said they have medical bills to pay, and;
• 75% report purchasing inexpensive, unhealthy food as the most common way to have at least some food at home to eat.

As a food bank , we are focused on addressing Health and Wellness and leading in the national trend of food banks partnering with health organizations. We were pleased to share some of our Health and Wellness Initiatives with the Beyond Flexner Conference.  The conference brought a group of medical students, educators, and physicians together  to discuss social determinants of health.

More information in these links:
Healthy Hubs – Partnering with Organizations to Increase Health Outcomes

Working Together for a Healthy and Well Nourished New Mexico

Healthcare and Food Delivery Advisory Council Meeting Report

My Dream is to End World Hunger

Through photography children share their innermost feelings. The opportunity to reveal their dreams in photographs shows each child how much their dreams MATTER! Their hopes and dreams captured in quiet moments tell a story that few adults can imagine. "When you show children that you care about what they dream for in life, perhaps a child who never felt he or she had self worth, now will."  -Linda Solomon

When Emily, then 7 years old,  she was presented the opportunity to express her dreams via a photograph. Her dream was the very grown-up goal to end world hunger.

Emily was one of 19 homeless children in Albuquerque who were afforded this opportunity back in 2012. Darrionte, then 8 years old, is featured in an article published in The Albuquerque Journal on Sept. 6, 2012.

With the support of local car dealership Galles Chevrolet, the pictures were made into a set of greeting cards, which the Barrett Foundation  sold in 2012. Even though the cards were created three years ago, they still touch our hearts and are still very relevant today.

A national project
Project director, renown photographer Linda Salomon, has brought  Pictures of Hope to children living in shelters in Tucson, El Paso, Philadelphia, New York City, Flint, Michigan, Tulsa, Raleigh, Fayetteville, Charlotte, Kansas City, St. Louis, Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and Albuquerque.

Heres how it works. Solomon presents a photo tutorial to the children at each shelter. At the conclusion of the tutorial, the children are surprised with digital cameras donated by Walgreens and given their first photo assignment as young photojournalists. Each child has a Picture of Hope card showcasing one of their photographs. All the children in each city celebrate with their mentors at the "Meet The Young Artist" receptions when the Pictures of Hope cards are launched. Its a special day no one will ever forget.

On her website, the photographer explains her motivation. "The numbers of homeless children in the US are the highest in our history, 2.5 million. One out of thirty children are homeless," said Ms. Solomon. "The mission of Pictures of Hope is to change lives, one life at a time. We show each child there is hope and they are not forgotten. Pictures of Hope touches the soul of each child we meet."

Interfaith Hunger Coalition Participates in End Hunger in New Mexico Summit

The Interfaith Hunger Coalition was present at the End Hunger in New Mexico summit this past Wednesday and Thursday.  Ellen Buelow (Holy Rosary Catholic Community) led a workshop  with the help of Judy Messal (All Saints Lutheran Church) and Kathy Freeze (Catholic Charities of Central New Mexico). The workshop presented the history, goals and mission statement of the IFC as well as some data on hunger in New Mexico (courtesy of our partner New Mexico Voices for Children.

While most of our work has been in Albuquerque, many of the participants in the workshop were from communities elsewhere in New Mexico, including Roswell, Ruidoso, Cloudcroft and the Navajo Nation. In addition to learning about the IHC, participants shared their experiences and challenges working with people who are vulnerable to hunger.  For the members of the Chaves County  J.O.Y. Centers (pictured at left), a main concern was hunger among seniors.

 We also had a display table coordinated by Bert Scott (Central
United Methodist Church). Most of the materials for the display were designed by Jeanne Elmhorst (Albuquerque Mennonite Church).  Many people volunteered to staff the table, including Joy Dinaro (Immaculate Conception Catholic Church) and Ian Wood (Archdiocese of Santa Fe), pictured at left, Carole Everton (Holy Rosary Catholic Community), Kathryn Arndt (Community of Hope) and others . We hope that our presence at the summit allowed more people to know about us, which is an important step in the growth of our coalition.

Bread for the World Member Rick Steves Invites You to Join Him in Helping to End Hunger This Christmas

"...Im one of thousands of Christian Americans who really see Bread for the World not as a charity but as a service. Together, we want to fight hunger, and Bread for the World represents that, and does our work right here in Washington, D.C."  excerpt from Rick Steves address at the Bread for the World national gathering, June 2014

Rick Steves loves Bread for the World. Every Christmas season, he puts together a special appeal to raise funds for our organization. The beloved television travel host and author has an offer for you again this year.

"Heres my challenge to you," Steves says on his Travel Blog. "Make a gift of $100 or more and as a thank you, Ill match your gifts (up to $250,000) and send you my European Christmas gift package or my Complete Collection 2000-2016 DVD Box Set (all 100 of my travel shows)."

This video tells you more about the European Christmas Gift Package


If you make your gift by December 10 (thats next Thursday!),  you’ll get everything in time for Christmas. "I’ll happily pay for the cost of these gifts and postage so that Bread can use 100 percent of your donation for their work," said Steves.

Impressive Group of Speakers to Address End Hunger Summit

Krista Kelley, is seen as a visionary in the design and implementation of numerous projects that have changed the course of New Mexico communities through hunger, healthcare, employment and access to vital services... Albuquerque kindergarten teacher Sonya Romero has gained international recognition for her generosity toward students at Lew Wallace Elementary School....Since 1984, Pastor John Hill has served his fellow man in the non-profit sector, focusing on individuals coming directly out of the prison system, with drug and alcohol addictions, or with employment challenges...Rev. Jack Bunting is currently serving as the President/CEO of the St. Felix Pantry, Inc. in Rio Rancho, and continues to be passionate about serving the needs of the poor, hungry and hurting within Sandoval County and the State of New Mexico...Sherry Hooper took over as executive director for The Food Depot, Northern New Mexico’s food bank in September, 2001. Ms. Hooper co-founded the Santa Fe Food Policy Council and served on the Council as a City of Santa Fe appointee for four years...Crystal Fitzsimmons leads FRAC’s work to increase participation the federal school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs. She analyzes policy to advocate for legislative and regulatory... improvements to increase low - income children’s access to the nutrition programs...Veronica Garcia became New Mexico Voices for Children’s executive director in 2012... As New Mexico’s first Cabinet Secretary of Education, she pushed for funding for programs such as school - based health clinics, breakfast in the schools, and elementary physical education.

The Second Annual End Hunger in New Mexico Summit, scheduled for Sept. 23-24, will feature an impressive group of keynote speakers. [Archbishop John Wester of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe was originally scheduled to address the event, but something came up (Pope Francis visit to the U.S.!)]. The Albuquerque Marriott, 2101 Louisiana Blvd. (map), will be the site of the summit. Two of the keynote speakers lead organizations that have endorsed the Interfaith Hunger Coalition (IHC): Adelante/The Storehouse and New Mexico Voices for Children. The IHC will have a display at the summit and will also be presenting a workshop on Wednesday, September  23, !;45-2:45 p.m. in the Acoma Room. Here is a description of our workshop

Faith In Action: An Introduction to the Interfaith Hunger Coalition

* Ellen Buelow, Interfaith Hunger Coalition
Our interactive workshop introduces participants to the vision and activities of the Interfaith Hunger Coalition focused in three areas; education, advocacy and direct action. Here’s an opportunity for faith communities to collaborate in a common place. Explore how you and your organization can join forces without duplication of services.

Check out the full schedule of events, including descriptions of all the workshops and more information about the keynote speakers. You can register on site at the summit on September 22-24. The registration fee is $20. Participants are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items, which Desert Harvest will distribute to feeding sites in Albuquerque.

Dear Presidential Candidate How Would You Address Hunger in the U S and Around the World

Photo: Bread for the World

Over 100 Christian leaders have asked each presidential candidate, “What would you do as president to offer help and opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world?” These videos, produced by the campaigns, are their response. The Circle of Protection, in partnership with Bread for the World, presents them without comment or endorsement. Additional candidate videos will be added as they are received.  As of Sept. 9, nine candidates (six Republicans and three Democrats) had responded.

The presidential videos are a major part of Bread for the World’s efforts to make hunger and poverty part of the national conversation during the campaigns for both president and Congress. Read more in Bread Blog

This link has the video responses from Jeb Bush, Dr. Ben Carson, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Martin OMalley and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

(The videos have received coverage in religious and other media and in some religious Web sites, including Mother Jones, Catholic News Service, The National Catholic Reporter, The Christian Post, Mennonite Church USA, National Association of Evangelicals and PRNewswire. Most of this coverage took place when the initial set of videos from six candidates was released in July). 

Franciscan Sister Wins Food Netwoks Chopped Contest Seeks to Bring Attention to Issue of Hunger

"Perhaps being on national TV and winning this competition will bring some attention to the issue of hunger and to the reality that Gods love is so strong and so big, he can take this little nun from Chicago who never went to culinary school to compete. ... Literally nothing is impossible with God." -Franciscan Sister Alicia Torres

Sister Alicia Torres, 30, is one of the new generation of Catholic nuns. She has her own Twitter account and she appeared on the Food Networks reality cooking show Chopped--and won!

Sister Alicia, who lives and works at the Mission of Our Lady of  the Angels on the west side of Chicago, was one of four chefs cooking with the typical makings of a conventional Thanksgiving dinner—turkey, green beans, potatoes and cranberries—on the special volunteer edition of the show.

In the appetizer segment of the contest, Torres transformed leftovers into Mexican-style quesadillas.For the entree, Sister Alicia made a Mediterranean-style dish with curry turkey, a sweet potato cranberry hash and a dipping sauce with goat cheese and green beans.

Here is what she wrote on Twitter on the day of the contest.

Chopped = major blessing + joy! Im still cooking .. for Gods glory and my friends on the West Side! Thanks @FoodNetwork! #Chopped

— Sr. Alicia Torres (@NunRun) November 12, 2015

Sister Alicia is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, which serve the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels, located in Humboldt Park, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago. "With the economic crisis, families and seniors in the area do not have the necessary resources for sufficient heat and nutritious meals," the mission said on its website. 

The mission  distributes food and clothing to residents of Humboldt Park on Tuesday mornings. The first Saturday of the month, the mission also serves as a model of how to efficiently run a mobile food pantry. The mobile pantry provides food and clothing for approximately 300 families.

Sister Alicias victory brought a prize of $10,000 for Our Lady of the Angels. More importantly, it provided her the opportunity to shine the spotlight on hunger and poverty on the west side of Chicago and in many places in the U.S. "Perhaps being on national TV and winning this competition will bring some attention to the issue of hunger and to the reality that Gods love is so strong and so big, he can take this little nun from Chicago who never went to culinary school to compete. ... Literally nothing is impossible with God," Sister Alica said in an interview with The Chicago Tribune.

And here is a video from an interview with Sister Alicia on WGN television in Chicago.



Siser Alicia was featured in the film Light of Love in 2013, a movie by the Imagine Sisters Movement, in which she discusses her religious calling.

Report Examines Impact of Proposed Food Tax on Health and Hunger in New Mexico

Reinstating a tax on the sale of food for consumption at home could harm the health of New Mexicans who are already food insecure—meaning they don’t always have enough to eat. And while the revenue generated from a tax on food could be used to mitigate some of the damage the tax would do, the report finds that it is unlikely governments would spend the new revenue toward that end. -New Mexico Voices for Childrens report“A Health Impact Assessment of a Food Tax in New Mexico

There are many efforts underway to examine the relationship of health and nutrition to hunger. This week, the Bread for the World Institute published a comprehensive report on this issue, entitled The Nourishing Effect.  On Tuesday, we posted a piece about this report earlier this week.

The New Mexico Voices for Children also published a report on the same topic this week. The report, funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, is more specific to New Mexico.  This report examines how proposals to reinstate a tax on the sale of food for consumption at home could harm the health of New Mexicans who are already food insecure. 

“When all is said and done, taxing food will hurt those New Mexicans who are already hurting the most,” said Veronica C. García, Ed.D., executive director of NM Voices. “Almost a third of our state’s children don’t get enough to eat—even with school meals, SNAP benefits and food banks. How can we, in good conscience, expect them to do with even less food?"

The report looks at three possible outcomes of a food tax: that families would maintain their current food purchasing patterns, leaving less money for other necessities such as medication and health care; that families would spend the same amount of money on food, but be able to purchase less of it (or substitute less-expensive, less-nutritious foods); and that state or local governments would collect more revenue, which could impact their spending patterns.

Health Impacts of a Food Tax on Family Economic Security: Taxing food would cost each New Mexico household around $350 per year, or $29 per month, on average. Highest-income earners in New Mexico would spend about one-half of 1 percent of their income on a food tax, while the lower half of New Mexico earners would spend around 1 percent of their income on the food tax alone—double the rate that high earners would pay. Research and calculations show that a food tax would exacerbate the tax system’s regressivity—that is it would hit low-income earners harder than it would hit high- income earners—and could harm family economic security, which could have negative impacts on mental health and stress levels, income available for other necessary purchases besides food, need and demand for public assistance, childhood development, ability to pay for health services and medicine, economic equity, and the ability to manage chronic conditions through diet.

Health Impacts of a Food Tax on Food Security, Diet, and Nutrition:Taxing food could also have an adverse impact on food security, diet, and nutrition by prompting purchases of less food or cheaper, less nutritious food. This could have important and harmful implications for health, particularly nutrition-related chronic conditions, the ability to manage chronic conditions through diet, childhood development and learning capacity, malnutrition issues, the incidence of low birth-weight and/or preterm babies, and the need and demand for food assistance from public, private, and nonprofit sources.

Health Impacts of a Food Tax on Government Spending: It is also possible that the negative health impacts of taxing food could be mitigated by how that revenue is spent. If food tax revenues lead to overall increased government spending on direct health services, food assistance and nutrition programs, programs that provide recreational opportunities, and education, then the food tax could have positive implications for health, or at the very least have no net negative implications. However, it is more likely that food tax revenue would be used to make up for decreasing revenue and so be used to maintain current service levels. Though it is possible that any increases could be spent on the programs noted above, for most program areas, it is unlikely, particularly at the municipal level.

Here are links to the executive summary and the full report

FRAC Unveils Plan of Action to End Hunger in America

The 2016 election debate has already begun. It will help frame the issues that the next President and Congress, as well as state and local officials, will address. Hunger — its causes, its impact, and its solutions — must be part of the debate and agenda for all parties and all candidates. Polling shows Democrats, Independents, Republicans, men, women, and voters from all parts of the country think that hunger is a serious problem in this country, and the government needs to invest and lead more to address it. This commitment of American voters must become part of the election discussion, and every candidate at every level of government should be asked to issue a plan to address hunger.  -Food Reasearch and Action Center

The effort to shine the spotlight on hunger during the 2016 presidential campaign is under way on many fronts. Vote to End Hunger, an effort led by six anti-hunger organizations--The Alliance to End Hunger, Bread for the World, Feeding America, Meals on Wheels America, No Kid Hungry-Share Our Strength, and RESULTS--officially launched its campaign this past week.  This campaign focuses on the target of ending hunger in our country and globally by 2030.

A second effort, led by the Circle of Protection, Sojourners and Bread for the World, asked the presidential candidates to produce a video answering the question, “What would you do as president to offer help and opportunity to hungry and poor people in the United States and around the world?” As of Oct. 17, nine candidates (six Republicans and three Democrats) had submitted videos. 

Eight-Point Plan
Another prominent anti-hunger organization, the Food Research and Action Center, has put together a blueprint to end hunger in the United States by 2030. The Plan of Action to End Hunger in America, suggests the timing is right to make an all-out effort to eliminate hunger in our country.  Earlier efforts, including President Barack Obamas campaign pledge in 2008 to tackle hunger in America, were hampered by a major downturn in the U.S. economy.

"When Mr. Obama became President, he inherited an economy suffering the most drastic downturn in three-quarters of a century. Giant banks and businesses teetered on the brink. Unemployment leapt up and wages fell. Hunger and poverty both rose rapidly. In 2007, 36 million Americans lived in food insecure households. In 2009, that number was 50 million."

"Now, seven years after Mr. Obama made his anti-hunger pledge, the economy is in considerably better shape, though far from fully recovered. While hunger in this rich nation is unacceptable, even in the worst of times, the recovery changes the dynamic, making American hunger both more unacceptable and more solvable," said the FRAC report.

The Plan of Action to End Hunger in America, offers eight essential strategies for decisively attacking hunger.

1. Create jobs, raise wages, increase opportunity, and share prosperity;
2. Improve government income-support programs for struggling families;
3. Strengthen SNAP;
4. Strengthen Child Nutrition Programs;
5. Target supports to especially vulnerable populations;
6. Work with states, localities, and nonprofits to expand and improve participation in federal nutrition programs;
7. Make sure all families have convenient access to reasonably priced, healthy food;
8. Build political will.

The eighth point is very important, and the discussion can begin in the context of the Presidential, US Congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial campaigns.Vote to End Hunger and FRACs campaign are important tools to discuss federal initiatives, particularly in light of the U.S. presidential and congressional elections. The issue is also important in state legislative and gubernatorial campaigns and elections for city council or county commission. So, go to town halls and candidate forums, write letters to the editor and organize discussion groups in your church or community group.  Its all important work.

Bishop Jim Gonias Super Bowl and World Hunger Challenge

If you are a football fan (and even if youre not), you are probably aware by now that the two teams vying in Super Bowl 50 are the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers (based in Charlotte, N.C.).

According to oddsmakers, the Panthers are favored to win this game.  But thats not the line we care about. Whats important is the BIG GAME challenge that Bishop Jim Gonia of the Rocky Mountain Synod (Team Denver) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made to fellow Bishops Timothy Smith of the North Carolina Synod and Herman Yoos of the South Carolina Synod (together as Team Carolina) to raise funds for the ELCA World Hunger Program.  (A similar challenge was made to the Northwest Synod, when the Broncos played the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 48)..

Bishop Gonia issued his challenge to Bishops Smith and Yoos via the Team ELCA campaign, which allows individuals and supporters of and advocates for ELCA ministries, to invite friends, family and connections to “join the team” in support of the ministries that  they support.

Things didnt get off to a good start for Team Denver. "I just found out that as of 10 p.m. on January 28, TEAM CAROLINA has raised $3055 and TEAM DENVER has raised just $955!" said Coach Gonia.

Of course, QB Gonia did not mention that TEAM DENVER faces a numerical disadvantage to TEAM Carolina. There are 165 ELCA congregations in the Rocky Mountain Synod, including 22 in New Mexico. In contrast the combined North Carolina-South Carolina Synods together represent more than 300 churches. Hardly fair, right? But thats beside the point. The three synods are on the same team to raise a combined $50,000 during the Super Bowl season for the ELCA World Hunger program. The combined total of slightly more than $4,000 as of Jan. 28 was way short of the goal. [Update: as of Jan. 30, The Rocky Mountain Synod Broncos were closing in. The score was $3,910 for TEAM CAROLINA and $3,360 for TEAM DENVER (click here for the latest score)]

Heres where you can help:
Give an online gift for TEAM DENVER
Give an online gift for TEAM CAROLINA

Note: You dont have to be an ELCA member or a member of one of those synods to participate.
Enlist supporters on Twitter using the #ELCABigGame hashtag

The competition between #denver Lutherans and Carolina Lutherans is the only one I care about https://t.co/vo4yrovDTS @rmselca #elcabiggame

— Nadia Bolz-Weber (@Sarcasticluther) January 30, 2016

Summer Feeding Program in Albuquerque Linked Hunger and Health

The Bread for the World Institutes 2016 Hunger Report, released on November 23, took the broad view of hunger as a health issue. A report published the same week by New Mexico Voices for Children examined the impact that a proposed tax on groceries would have on health and hunger in our state.

There are other local efforts underway to link hunger, nutrition and health.  First Choice Community Health Care launched a pilot program this past summer aimed at addressing child hunger as a health issue. The program, which took place June 1-August 7, was developed in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) and the Bernalillo County Office of Health and Social Services.

The pilot program was put in place at the South Valley Health Commons in Albuquerque, offering any child between the ages of 1 and 18 access to a nutritious free lunch. The pre-packaged meals distributed at the Commons met USDAs nutrition standards and were prepared by APS Food Services, which has created a balanced menu that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low fat milk.

The program was the first of its kind at a primary care clinic, where pediatricians look for signs of malnutrition, including obesity.

First Choice is considering the possibility of expanding the program to its seven other locations in the metro area, as the USDA seeks places to expand its impact beyond the traditional school breakfast and lunch programs nationwide. “Hunger is a health issue in many ways,” said Dr. Will Kaufman, a local physician who specializes on nutrition and health. “Families report skipping meals and buying cheaper food to stretch their budgets, which can mean food that is high in fat, sugar and calories, and low in nutritional value.”

The children’s feeding program is one of several strategies First Choice is using to address hunger and nutrition. Patients also participate in La Cosecha Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, which sells low cost bags of fresh, vegetables grown by South Valley farmers each week of the growing season, delivered to the South Valley Health Commons.

The CSA food is subsidized by Presbyterian Healthcare Services, which helped organize a summit in Albuquerque on health and hunger in May of this year, in partnership with ProMedica and The Alliance to End Hunger.  Clients also participate in the WIC program, which provides supplemental food for children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, including vouchers to spend on produce at Farmers Markets.

First Choice also helped launch a mobile farmers market that made stops throughout the South Valley and International District of Albuquerque during the summer. The mobile van, provided by Bernalillo County,  featured healthy cooking demonstrations, a mobile pantry stocked by The Storehouse and recipes.

More than 100 Cities Sign Urban Food Policy Pact Pledge to Fight Hunger

Mayors gathered in Milan to sign pact

Cities will be vital in accomplishing the goal of feeding the world; around 15 percent of the world’s food is now grown in urban areas, and the global proportion of people living in cities will likely reach 65 percent by 2025. The Urban Food Policy Pact (UFPP) will unite city leaders worldwide for the creation of more just and sustainable urban food systems. The pact will address the potential of cities to contribute to food security through urban agriculture.  -Text of UFPP

On  World Food Day 2015, representatives from more than 100 cities signed the Urban Food Policy Pact, pledging to work together on efforts to develop sustainable food policies. The document was presented to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a ceremony in Milan, Italy. The project, led by the city of Milan, is modeled after an initiative that the Italian city created in 2014 with the assistance of Fundazione Caprilo. The objective is very simple: coordinate all policies dealing with food policy from a host of different perspectives: community, welfare, education, environment, well-being and international relations.

Milan Mayor Giuliano Pisapa proposed the pact at the Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) Summit in 2014, and the agreement was launched during the Milan Expo 2015, whose theme was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.”

“Today, at  the presence of metropolises from all over the world that are home  to 400 million people, we have achieved an ambitious goal: a commitment for the implementation of smart food policies in our cities," said Pisapia. "This strong commitment entails concrete actions at the local level, aimed at facing global emergencies such as hunger, malnutrition and 1,3 million tons of food wasted every year."

Five cities in the United States and two in Canada are party to this agreement:  Chicago, New York, Miami, Baltimore, San Francisco, Vancouver and Toronto. Our neighbors in Latin America include  Mexico City, Guatemala City (Guatemala), Tegucigalpa (Honduras), Bogota and Medellin (Colombia), Buenos Aires (Argentina), and Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo, and Porto Alegre (Brazil). New York City announced its support for the pact on Twitter.

#NYC signed the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact ! Follow the ceremony live: http://t.co/KMRTIO2iap #UrbanFoodPact @ComuneMi

— NYC Intl Affairs (@globalnyc) October 15, 2015

The pact includes five core actions:

1. engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure an enabling environment; 
2. promote sustainable diets and nutrition; 
3. ensure equitable access to food; 
4. promote rural-urban food production and supply; and 
5. reduce food waste.

José Graziano da Silva, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), praised the agreement, pointing out that  urban communities would play a significant role in achieving the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, especially the eradication of hunger by 2030. Read more from Inter Press Service and Xinhua. Here is how the FAO tweeted its support for the pact.

#UNFAO hails pledge by more than 100 cities 2fight hunger & improve nutrition http://t.co/fCM4KnNVU7 #UrbanFoodPact pic.twitter.com/yiUgpVc9Wv

— FAO Newsroom (@FAOnews) October 15, 2015

While Urban Food Policy Pact currently has a little more than 100 signators, the model is applicable to cities of all sizes. According to StatisticBrain, using datafrom World Atlas, there were 4,416 cities in the world with a population of over 150,000, including Albuquerque. Imagine if every single one of these cities decided to adopt the UFPP principles.

2016 Hunger Report Looks at Relationship of Health and Hunger

The Bread for the World Institutes 2016 Hunger Report, The Nourishing Effect, was the talk of Twitter on the day it was released on Monday, November 23. #HungerReport was the #1 Twitter trend in Washington and was the #6 trend in the nation.

Several VIPs were on hand for the release of the report at the National Press Club, including Kevin Concannon, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, and Deb Eschmeyer, who runs the Let’s Move program in First Lady Michelle Obama’s office.

Here is  an excerpt from the executive summary.

Hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition ruin health. But good nutrition is preventive medicine. Hunger leads to poor health and poor health contributes to descents into hunger and food insecurity—especially among people who must choose between paying for food or medicine. In the United States, the issues of hunger and health have been seen as two separate and distinct challenges. But that is beginning to change as the system adapts to an ambitious reform agenda driven by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA is moving the U.S. healthcare system to focus on prevention and to address the root causes of chronic diseases.

Photo: Bread for the World

The Bread for the World Institute and Bread for the World will host a Twitter conversation this (Tuesday) morning at 11:00 A.M. Eastern Time (9:00 A.M. Mountain Time).

If you have any questions or observations about the report, please share them with the hosts of the Twitter conversation: Kelvin Beachum, an anti-hunger activist who plays for the  Pittsburgh Steelers; Lisa Scales of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and Asma Lateef, director of the Bread for the World Institute. If you want to participate, follow @BreadInstitute on Twitter.

Download the full report

Here are some tweets related to the release of the report.

US spends more on health care of all rich countries, yet sees poorest health outcomes. #HungerReport #health pic.twitter.com/m3DmmpUmkQ

— Bread Institute (@breadinstitute) November 23, 2015

#hungerreport: socioeconomic inequality largely responsible for #hunger in US. @bread4theworld @breadinstitute pic.twitter.com/3gTZDhFFrk

— AllianceToEndHunger (@toendhunger) November 23, 2015

TOMORROW 11 a.m EST: Twitter chat about the linkage between hunger & health. #HungerReport https://t.co/GDhlOSV1oS pic.twitter.com/5JoByam7Fh

— Bread for the World (@bread4theworld) November 24, 2015

Making Hunger a Priority in the Public Square

Sherry Hooper, executive director of The Food Depot in Santa Fe, was one of the keynote speakers on the first day of the second annual End Hunger in New Mexico Summit in Albuquerque. This tweet and photo come courtesy of Patty Keane.

Policy leaders should be talking about #hunger & poverty. If they arent, ask them why-Sherry Hooper #EndHungerNM #NM pic.twitter.com/wKKaj5DOk1

— Patty Keane, MS, RD (@PKeaneRD) September 23, 2015

Vote to End Hunger Campaign Launched

Vote to End Hunger (VTEH), a broad coalition of individuals and organizations all committed to ending hunger in the U.S. and around the world by 2030, officially launched its campaign on Tuesday, October 13. "We believe that it will take the combined public and political will to do this by 2030 and are working together to elevate the issue of hunger with candidates during the 2016 election cycle," said the coalition.

The goal to end hunger by 2030 is compatible with Target 1 (No Poverty) and Target 2 (Zero Hunger) of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, a commitment that world leaders made through the U.N. earlier this month.

Here are more specifics for VTEH
.
Goal
Use the 2016 election process to make hunger, poverty and opportunity a higher political priority, so that the next President and Congress take action that will put our nation and the world on track to end hunger by 2030.

Vision
End hunger in the United States and around the world by 2030.

Principles

1. Ending hunger in the United States and worldwide by 2030 is possible;
2. Ending hunger requires strong commitment and leadership from the U.S. government;
3. Ending hunger means fulfilling the right to food by ensuring all people at all times are able to access enough food for an active, healthy life;
4. Ending hunger is the shared responsibility of individuals, communities, the private sector, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and government;
5. Ending hunger is not a partisan issue;
6. Ending hunger requires both a strong safety net and policies that expand opportunity and reduce poverty;
7. The 2016 election provides an exceptional opportunity to make ending hunger, poverty and opportunity a higher political priority;
8. Therefore, we plan to work together to engage voters and candidates around the goal of ending hunger by 2030.

Get Involved 
Individuals: Sign the Pledge and Keep Informed (scroll down to bottom of page to sign up for newsletter)
Organizations: Join the Coalition

Steering Committee
The Alliance to End Hunger
Bread for the World
Feeding America
Meals on Wheels America
No Kid Hungry-Share Our Strength
RESULTS