Ten year-old Natalia Marsh-Welton knows how cold she feels while getting chemotherapy for a brain tumor. She also knows how hard it must be too for those homeless and without food.
Natalia says, “I am cold all of the time. Imagine how cold people without homes must be.” As reported by Brad Evans of WLWT in Cincinnati, she decided to take action.
Read the full article at The Huffington Post
Filed under Hunger in America
Bread for the World said today that fifteen states and the District of Columbia would bear the brunt of new cuts by Congress to the food stamp (SNAP) program.
Read the full article at Examiner.com
Filed under Hunger in America
Feeding America released its “State of Hunger in America” ahead of President Obama’s State of the Union speech tonight. There are 49 million Americans who suffer from hunger or “food insecurity.”
Read the full article at Examiner.com
Filed under Hunger in America
The freezing temperatures across the country mean higher heating costs for everyone. Many low-income families are struggling with this increase in prices. They are already under the strain of trying to afford food.
Last year 47 million hungry Americans lost food stamp benefits, and Congress may be bringing more cuts to the table. Needy families are placed in the awful situation of having to choose between heat or food.
Read the full article at The Huffington Post:
Filed under Hunger in America
Charity Miles, the hunger-fighting app, announced today that Humana, the health care company, has become a sponsor. Next week’s Humana Challenge PGA Tour golf event will also feature Charity Miles.
The Charity Miles app lets you run, walk or bike to raise money for a charity of your choice. You just download the app onto your smartphone, select a charity and start your workout. The donations are paid for by the sponsors. The app is totally free for the user. The UN World Food Programme and Feeding America are two of the charities that are included with the app.
Read the full article at Examiner.com
Filed under global hunger
MSJ student Matthew Kohlmorgen has been doing Charity Miles to raise donations for Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger relief organization. Here is a sample of some of the workouts he has tweeted.
Matthew Kohlmorgen of the College of Mount St. Joseph (MSJ) is using both his writing talent and athletic ability. As a member of the MSJ Charity Miles team he runs to help Feeding America.
Charity Miles is a free app you download onto your smartphone. For every mile you run, walk or bike a donation is made to a charity of your choice, paid for by a corporate sponsorship pool. Through December 17 Lifeway Foods is matching all Charity Miles with a donation to the UN World Food Programme, the leading hunger relief agency in the typhoon-devastated Philippines.
Kohlmorgen is one of the top Charity Milers at MSJ. He is a senior English major and a published writer. In this interview Kohlmorgen discusses Charity Miles and a special project he is working on about Ernest Hemingway.
Q. Which type of workout do you use for Charity Miles?
A. When I use the concrete as my gym I love to just run and forget about everything. Running is a great way to relieve stress and the best part about using Charity Miles is that something so simple as running can make such a difference to people. Lately I have been doing a lot of yoga on account of not having much time to run.
Q. What are some of the charities that you are helping?
A. My favorite is “FEEDING AMERICA” because I have a soft spot for the domestic American family who is suffering, this is something that allows me to feel that I helped put food on a hungry family’s table, just because I go for a run.
Q. Do you have a personal connection with any of the Charity Miles causes?
A. I have been very fortunate and blessed in my life. I don’t know what it is like to go to bed hungry or what the feeling of having to swallow pride and go to a community centre for food feels like. I want to do everything I can to make sure that I give what I have in my life back, I can’t be selfish and forget about those who don’t have all the benefits that I have. If anyone is even remotely charity minded then there is no excuse to not have Charity Miles on your smart phone (an appliance that almost everyone has).
Q. As an English major you are working on a special project involving Ernest Hemingway? Can you tell us about that?
A. Yes! The project has had so much developmental hurdles because there is always that pressure to say something new, but how do you say something new about a man who has been so intimately studied by just about every single respectable institution? If we are talking about a Hemingway book that analyzes him as a writer, human being, or journalist then there is absolutely nothing new to say. However, in fiction there is so much to approach because that gives an audience of fans and non-fans a chance to see him from a different lens and having him opposite one of his contemporaries who has just as much intellectual and creative gravity would be fascinating-that is why I chose Orson Welles vs all the others in his generation. To see Hemingway argue with someone who wasn’t weaker than him, who could drink as much as him, and who could possibly outwit him is something I would like to see myself. Luckily, no one has made such a play so as a fan that is why I am pursuing this. Finally, I have always thought that Hemingway deserved a medium that approached him with a new perspective, that perspective being something that shows everything he was. The suicidal and mentally ill individual, the warm and caring father, the drunken misogynist, the close friend and argumentative writer. There are whole books dedicated to every topic I just mentioned, but nothing that has tackled the entirety of his complex personality. Fiction allows me to do that, and I needed someone who would be able to contend with him in all those areas, to me that was Orson Welles.
Q. Did Hemingway happen to spend time in the Philippines?
A. little bit of time yes, as far as I can determine he really didn’t do much profound thinking there. I hate to admit it but I had to really research (aka Google) that one. He was there in 1941, right after his marriage to famed war correspondent Martha Gellhorn. He spent time in the famous Manila hotel drinking, bull fighting, and boxing, pretty conventional behavior for the Hem.
Q. Can someone follow your Charity Miles workouts?
A. Of course! My Twitter account is Twitter.com/MKohlmorgen.
Bill, it as always has been a pleasure and congrats on being a blogger for the HuffPost!
Filed under global hunger
The new Hunger Games film is teaming with the World Food Programme and Feeding America. World Food Programme. (WFP photo)
The New Hunger Games movie: Catching Fire has so much potential beyond being a stellar film. With extra imagination, and a little inspiration from history, this blockbuster can make a difference fighting world hunger.
The Hunger Games is teaming up with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Feeding America. The mission is to feed the hungry.
A special web site has been set up to get fans involved. There is information about the global hunger crisis. There are even Hunger Games prizes for the film, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth. A site dedicated to the first Hunger Games movie is also available. You can take a special quiz and see a video message from Jennifer Lawrence.
This is a great opportunity for the movie industry to use its powerful influence to help bring relief to the starving children in Syria, Mali, Haiti, Sudan, Afghanistan, and the Central African Republic.
This takes on even more urgency with the recent disaster in the Philippines, where a typhoon has left millions at risk of hunger and malnutrition. WFP is the lead agency in feeding storm victims.
The UN food agency, which relies on voluntary donations, is already stretched thin by the hunger crisis caused by the war in Syria. The Hunger Games, with its powerful media influence, can be a support in raising funds and awareness.
We know this can work. History tell us so. With famine lurking over Europe in the aftermath of World War I, the young motion picture industry came to the rescue.
Herbert Hoover and General John Pershing appealed for donations to the European Relief Council. As part of this campaign the movie industry held fundraisers nationwide. A two reel film was specially prepared for theaters. Stars made appearances at films to help the cause.
In Louisville, Kentucky two young local dancers performed at the Majestic and Crown Theaters. The Louisville Courier Journal proudly ran an article about its local talent with the headline “They’re Helping Europe’s Children.” Millions of Europeans received food from this outpouring of support in America.
During World War II films were used by American Relief for Norway and other groups to inform and raise donations. After World War II a film called the Seeds of Destiny won an Academy Award for showing the plight of the starving overseas. This film was influential in helping secure the food that was needed for the rebuilding of the war devastated nations.
Now today there are 842 million people worldwide suffering from hunger. In America, cuts to the food stamps program is going to place a huge strain on Feeding America’s network of food banks. The WFP and Feeding America each need support for their hunger relief missions.
When you go to the movie theater, think of sending the cost of an extra ticket to the World Food Programme or Feeding America. If a ticket costs 10 dollars, that is equal to around 40 meals donated.
Feeding a “silent guest,” one of the world’s hungry, was a big hit in America after World War II. You can carry on that tradition with the Hunger Games film and throughout the holidays.
You can get started by visiting the Hunger Games site. Then let your own imagination take over from there.
Originally published at The Huffington Post.
Filed under global hunger
Congress is threatening to cut international food aid.
The article “Food-stamp cuts might deal heavy blow to region” (July 28) justifiably raises great concern over the repeated attempts by Congress to cut food aid.
Over 50 million Americans suffer from hunger. Food banks are overstretched, and cutting back assistance will be a disaster. The cutting of food stamps will also eliminate hundreds of thousands of free school meals for needy children.
Globally, what could be more important to our foreign policy than fighting hunger. Our Food for Peace and global school-lunch programs save children’s lives, and help the recovery of nations leveled by war, disasters and poverty. This is the great humanitarian tradition of our country, the one that prevented the worst famine in history after World War II.
Today, food will determine whether there is to be peace and recovery in the Middle East and regions where there are massive flows of refugees and agriculture has suffered huge damage. The Syria crisis is alarming, with the UN World Food Program needing around $29 million a week to carry out a relief mission. Conflict and hunger are also ongoing in Mali, South Sudan and Yemen. Haiti needs food support as it tries to build its agriculture after suffering through a series of disasters.
Yet some in Congress seek to reduce funding for international food aid, even though it makes up less than 1⁄10 of 1 percent of the federal budget.
Some House members are trying to change this disconnect. Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota introduced the Global Food Security Act to put hunger back at the top of the foreign policy agenda, with a White House level coordinator. Over 30 humanitarian aid groups want this bill passed, and Congress should listen to what they have to say.
Food is the very basis of peace, a functioning economy or education. The idea that this is an area for budget cuts makes little sense, for domestic and foreign policy. It’s time Congress received this memo.
Originally published at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Filed under global hunger
Burwinkel Farms donates food to the Holy Family Church Food Pantry in Price Hill, an agency part of the Freestore FoodBank network fighting hunger in the Cincinnati area.
For Burwinkel Farms of Hamilton, Ohio the work day starts early picking corn in the fields. The “corn is as high as an elephant’s eye” is the famous lyric from the musical Oklahoma. Karen Burwinkel, the manager of the farm, says they cannot quite confirm this for they have never had an elephant visit.
What Burwinkels can say for certain is they have delicious corn and other yummy fruits and vegetables. Each summer morning, trucks are loaded with food to be taken to its locations across the Cincinnati area.
Burwinkel Farms is a summer tradition, one that has been operating since 1918.
Very quietly too Burwinkels is helping fight hunger in the community. Hunger is a silent, but serious crisis in the Cincinnati area. Feeding America says that 18.5 percent of the county’s population suffers from hunger. Among children the “food insecurity” rate skyrockets to 21.1 percent.
Burwinkels is helping out. For produce not sold, they make sure it is not wasted. Once a week, Burwinkels donates food to the Holy Family Church Food Pantry in Price Hill.
Diana Penick, who manages the pantry, says they have helped 7,170 families in need during the past year. She says, “In the past year we served 20,366 people. Not bad for a small church pantry!” The pantry is part of the Cincinnati Freestore Foodbank system.
Burwinkels makes these donations during the summer months, which is most critical. Donations to food pantries often drop off during this time period compared to the holiday season. Also, during the summer many children lose access to the federal school lunch and breakfast programs. Summer feeding is available in some locations but has not reached anywhere near the coverage provided during the school year.
Burwinkel Farms makes its donation to Holy Family through its Delhi location on Sundays. This has been ongoing since last year. You can even stop by and “purchase” food to be added to the donation each week.
Hunger in America is a growing crisis, with more than 50 million people impacted. Tough economic times are here and the Congress is threatening to reduce the food stamp program (SNAP) which will place even more pressure on already overstretched food banks.
Following Burwinkels example is to waste no food, and do what you can to support hunger relief. That great summer delight of corn is something more than a nutritious food, but also brings hope to those in need.
For more information visit www.burwinkelfarms.com and also their Facebook page.
originally published at Cincinnati.com.
Filed under Hunger in America
The Mason Food Pantry in Ohio has seen increased demand for food assistance in recent years. (Mason Food Pantry)
Hunger may be closer to your doorstep than you think. There are over 50 million Americans who suffer from hunger according to Feeding America.
This crisis can show up in any community. Volunteers play a large role in helping food pantries cope with the increasing need for help.
In the following interview, Shanon Chaput, a volunteer at the Mason Food Pantry in Southwest Ohio, shares her story about getting involved in the fight against hunger.
Tell us about the community where your food pantry is located.
The Mason Food Pantry is located at 406 Fourth Avenue in Mason, Ohio. People think of Mason as a very wealthy town and are surprised that the city actually has people in need of food assistance.
What is the level of hunger in the Mason area?
Quoting the Mason Food Pantry website: “In December 2008 the pantry served 247 people. In December of 2012 the pantry served 667 people.” These numbers represent the month of December, not the calendar year.
How did you decide to become a volunteer at the Pantry?
I chose to be a volunteer at the Mason Food Pantry because my kids were in high school and had their driver’s licenses and really didn’t need me to drive them around as much as I did when they were younger.
Tell us about some of the people who rely on the Pantry. What is their story?
Unfortunately some of the people who come to the food pantry are victims of their own poor decisions. Many more however are desperate for help because they have been fighting cancer and other ailments and have prescription medications that sap every spare penny. There are a lot of elderly people who frequent the pantry and I often wonder if their families know about their predicament.
How can someone help the Mason Food Pantry?
There are a variety of ways people can assist the food pantry. A food drive through their place of employment or church is most typical. Others donate overflow from their summer gardens or prefer to make cash donations. For more information on holding a food drive or making a donation you can contact the director Gina Brown by phone at 513-754-0333 or by email at info@masonfoodpantry.org
Filed under Hunger in America
Author William Lambers 