MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger » Links

Oregon: Ending Hunger Before It Begins

H. Eric Schockman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:13:12 +0000

Courtesy Oregon Food Bank (http://oregonfoodbank.org)

On December 4th, a crowd of over 100 community activists, scholars, elected officials gathered in Salem, Oregon to spend a day focusing on “Ending Hunger Before it Begins”. The conference was hosted by Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon and OHTF, the Oregon Hunger Relief Task Force (a long time MAZON grantee). I had the pleasure of delivering the morning keynote, which will soon be available on MAZON’s YouTube page.

One thing I greatly admire as a national anti-hunger champion is watching state-advocates move the needle against the battle of hunger. Oregon is a real special model. For years, they were at the top of the USDA’s most food-insecure states. Much of the poverty and hunger resides inland and in the rural areas of the state. Patti Whitney-Wise of the OHTF, one of the most dedicated souls in the field, and her colleagues were able to take advantage of an “alignment of forces” when the current governor and legislature took office to make hunger a number one priority. Gradually, Oregon fell down the “food-insecure index” and is now doing amazing innovative outreach for SNAP (food stamps) and other entitlements that have been the “front-line against hunger” especially with the epic recession and high unemployment rates. Oregon is a state model that other states can learn from from. Rather than just waiting for the federal government to reach down to them, they have mobilized from the grass-roots upwards to fight hunger.

Courtesy Oregon Food Bank (http://oregonfoodbank.org/)

The conference set some common agreed-upon principles and areas of focus, including: Addressing Food Insecurity and Rural Hunger; Connecting Health and Hunger: The link between Nutrition and Food Insecurity; Cultivating Equitable Food Systems and Community Based Solutions; Family Economic Stability: Assets and Opportunities; and Maximizing Federal Food Programs for Underserved Oregonians.

My kudos to all the participants and to activists in Oregon who are making a difference for hungry children, seniors and families.

Fed Up With Hunger: Blueprint to End Hunger in Los Angeles

Ed Yerke-Robins — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:47:04 +0000

MAZON Board Member Neil Salowitz shows Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack we're Fed Up With Hunger! (Courtesy http://givelifemeaning.org)

The USDA reports that 49 million Americans – 1 in 7 – went hungry in 2008. Nearly a million in Los Angeles face hunger every day. Fed Up? You’re not the only one.

Everyone deserves the right to eat healthy and live free of hunger. On a national level, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and the Obama administration strive to improve school nutrition programs, increase access to nutritious foods and eliminate childhood hunger. Here in Los Angeles, Fed Up With Hungerworks to end hunger in one of the nation’s largest cities. Both share the same goal – 2015 – and Fed Up With Hunger already has an ambitious, yet attainable, Blueprint to End Hunger in Los Angeles.

Fed Up With Hunger launches the Blueprint this Monday, November 23rd, at 8:30 a.m. at The Jewish Federation’s Goldsmith Headquarters at 6505 Wilshire Blvd. The comprehensive Blueprint is a collaboration between anti-hunger organizations across Los Angeles, and aims to bring the community together to address this hunger crisis. We hope that the success of the Blueprint to End Hunger and Fed Up With Hunger program can provide a model for other communities as well.

A core recommendation of the Blueprint is that Los Angeles County, City and LAUSD focus additional energy on hunger issues and increase coordination of services. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, City Councilmember Paul Koretz and School Board Member Steve Zimmer are already on board for the Blueprint’s launch, and will continue to support its vision of a city free of hunger by introducing motions in their respective branches of government. Immediately following the launch is an Anti-Hunger and Food Advocates Roundtable discussion at 9:00AM. Community leaders will discuss ideas on how to best implement the Blueprint’s anti-hunger and sustainable food goals and objectives.

RSVP to David Lee at DLee@JewishLA.org or (323) 761-8165. Download & read the Blueprint to End Hunger in Los Angeles from Fed Up With Hunger.

Fed Up with Hunger is the Jewish Federation-led partnership to end hunger in Los Angeles. The core partners in the initiative are MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger and SOVA, The Community Food and Resource Program of Jewish Family Service. Learn more & get involved at http://givelifemeaning.org.

Introducing A.C.T.: End Hunger & MAZON’s iPhone App!

Ed Yerke-Robins — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:12 +0000

Achieve Change Together: http://actendhunger.org/

To end hunger, we must A.C.T. - Achieve Change Together.

Today, MAZON proudly launches our year-end campaign A.C.T.: End Hunger (http://actendhunger.org). A.C.T. reflects our core beliefs: that we can achieve a world without hunger, we can change lives, and we can work together to increase our impact. Join over 50,000 annual donors and help us raise $3 million in 3 months for the fight against hunger.

We’ve been listening to your suggestions & requests, and brought them to A.C.T.: End Hunger –

An easy-to-assemble MAZON tzedakah box for religious schools, kids & families. Print, fold, decorate, and send us pics of your mitzvah masterpiece! We’ll share your creations on our Flickr feed and blog!
Inform friends and family about ending hunger, and why it’s important to you. Email the site to a friend, tweet a link, or share it on Facebook, MySpace and many other social networking sites.
Our most exciting project is MAZON’s pioneering iPhone App. Stay involved wherever you go, with instant access to MAZON news, advocacy alerts, local volunteer opportunities & hunger facts. There’s also a giving calculator & easy donation link, so you can give back whenever you break bread.Available now at the App Store!
Stay tuned for even more exciting developments!

Need to get a head start on holiday greetings? Use MAZON’s new and improved online donation system to send tribute cards or e-cards simply and quickly to your friends and family.

We can Achieve Change Together! We can end hunger in our lifetime!

The Power of Interfaith Hunger Advocacy

H. Eric Schockman — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:17:06 +0000

Courtesy MAZON grantee Hunger Task Force (Milwaukee - http://www.hungertaskforce.org/)

I have just returned from keynoting a speech at a conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Council of Churches. It was held at a rustic retreat center on beautiful Lake Geneva in Williams Bay (about an hour from Milwaukee). The theme of the interfaith conference was “The Earth Speaks: Hunger, Our Spiritual Challenge”. My speech pertained to the need for people of faith to do more than provide ‘charity’ (as all our scriptures command us to do), but simultaneously move to do ‘justice’ (which indeed brings us into the realm of advocacy and public policy, and is also a keep commandment to right a broken world).

I was very impressed with the passion of these folks, the depth of their commitment to end hunger and the keen awareness to become the ‘voice-of-the-voiceless’ when it comes to ending hunger. They came from all over the state. They sang spiritual songs together, prayed for empowerment and were given intensive training on the role congregations can do in their communities. I was very impressed with their “study-action guide” they developed titled: Hunger on Our Doorstep. What is amazing to me is to see how the power of faith can be unified for a common goal, and one that we all agree upon: that hunger is a scandal and its solution is one of political will.

Heroes For Haiti: Hollywood United & You

Ed Yerke-Robins — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:05:48 +0000

Courtesy Friends of the Children of Lascahobas, Haiti

Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world: 80% of Haitians live under the poverty line, with 70% unemployed. Hurricanes flood the streets, while deforestation devastates the soil & eliminates key sources of fuel. Last year’s food riots have ceased (after bringing down the government), but shortages & malnutrition still plague Haiti.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are many ways to become a hero for Haiti.

This Saturday, August 8, Hollywood Unites For Haiti, InkTip & the HollyShorts Film Festival unite for a fundraiser reception at The Kress in Hollywood. Hosted by Hollywood Unites For Haiti founder & president Jimmy Jean-Louis (“Heroes”), the event features a gallery auction of portraits by pop artist Nicolosi, a raffle of Haitian art & special screening of the finalists for HollyShorts Film Festival’s Webisode category. All proceeds benefit Hollywood Unites For Haiti, and donations are also accepted at the door. For more information, or to RSVP, please email rsvp@hollyshorts.com.

If you can’t make Hollywood Unites For Haiti’s reception, the group also accepts donations of sports equipment, toiletries & computers for Haitian children’s programs. Several MAZON grantees also do important work in the region. The Lambi Fund of Haiti has a number of sustainable agriculture projects, including reforestation, goat & pig breeding, and training impoverished farmers on techniques and technologies appropriate to the region. Many of our synagogue partners & donors in Florida have collected funds specifically for The Lambi Fund. For over 30 years, Friends of the Children of Lascahobas, Haiti has brought medical services & screening to the border town of Lascahobas, where half the children under 5 are malnourished and only 25% of the population has access to clean drinking water. They have also set up a cooperative in Lascahobas so that Haitian mothers can work together to manage precious resources and create sustainable economics for their families.

Donations to MAZON ensure the continuation of work to end hunger in Haiti. With our combined efforts, we can all be heroes for Haiti.

Got Caught Up Out There: Photography by Homeless Women in Venice, CA

Ed Yerke-Robins — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:51:53 +0000

Courtesy Venice Arts Gallery

Recently, we profiled St. Joseph’s Center, a MAZON grantee with several projects surveying & sustaining Venice, CA’s homeless population. Thankfully, they’re not the only ones working with these oft-overlooked residents.

Venice Arts Gallery has a new exhibit, “Got Caught Up Out There: Photography by Homeless Women”, running through August 31, with an opening reception tomorrow (July 25) from 5-8PM. A collaboration between the gallery & Santa Monica’s Ocean Park Community Center, the project provides a rare opportunity for homeless women to document their lives and tell their stories. Their unique perspective reveals both an eclectic, colorful community & its daily struggle to survive on the streets & beaches just outside Los Angeles.

For those unable to attend or living outside the area, the entire exhibition is available for viewing online. A full-color catalogue is also available with a $50 donation to support the Gallery’s future storytelling projects.

For those moved by the exhibition and seeking more ways to help, please visit St. Joseph Center, or donate to MAZON so we can continue to support St. Joseph’s and other programs helping homeless around the country.

Free Screenings of Food, Inc.

Ed Yerke-Robins — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:28:00 +0000

Chipotle Mexican Grill is sponsoring a series of free screenings of the documentary Food, Inc. all month (check our our review & thoughts here). Most, including three in and around MAZON’s hometown of Los Angeles, are next week. Check out the full list here.

Healthy Eating on a Budget

Ed Yerke-Robins — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:48:15 +0000

Recently, About.com Health asked Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington, for a list of affordable foods that are still healthy. The foods – beans, eggs, bananas, potatoes, yogurt & ground beef – are staples not just for the consumer (although after seeing Food, Inc., I admit the unknown costs of cheap meat make me a little queasy), but for food banks as well. You don’t have to wait for a food drive to support local food banks – with record numbers of recipients, they need help year-round more than ever.

Not all food banks can handle refrigerated items & produce, so check with your local food bank before you donate. What other affordable, nutritious items do you recommend from your regular diet? I can’t tell you the number of times my lunch amounts to an apple & a can of tuna.

Twitter For Food

Ed Yerke-Robins — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:48:46 +0000

This Wednesday, July 1st, MAZON joins Twitter users and anti-hunger organizations worldwide for Twitter For Food, a digital movement to raise awareness and funds for hunger and food issues. Alarmed by increasing rates of global hunger, Tim Blair (who tweets as HungerNoMore) decided to skip a meal and donate the savings to UK-based Farm Africa. He encouraged his friends and followers on Twitter to do the same, providing a lengthy list of allies in the fight against global hunger. That was June 1st, and the results were such a success that it became a monthly event. We are honored to be featured on Twitter For Food for July, and are excited to participate in this and future events.

Still not convinced? Here are Tim’s top 10 reasons to Twitter For Food:

10. You could probably skip a meal without even noticing.
9. You’ll gain the respect of all twitterdom…and your mom.
8. Your waistline will thank you…translate stomach growl to gratitude.
7. You’ll sleep better knowing you’ve helped someone today.
6. Come tax time 2010, you’ll have a write off to remember this by.
5. Someones waistline will thank you…translate lack of stomach growl to gratitude.
4. You’ll be a hero on twitterforfood.com (if you tell me you joined in)
3. Less back pain from carrying or sitting on a too fat wallet.
2. The admiration of your peers that you donated in the very first #twitterforfood.

And the number one reason to join the #twitterforfood June 1st campaign…

1. Since you won’t be eating, you have more time to tweet!

Join us in Tweeting & retweeting the following any time within the next 48 hours:

#twitterforfood Skip a meal and use the savings to fund hunger relief locally and globally! http://tr.im/m1Pq

Thanks to Tim & everyone else who participates – feel free to share your experience with us. Post a comment here or Tweet us @StopHunger.

Hunger Action Day

Jerry Morgan — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:32 +0000

This year, during California’s annual Hunger Action Day, I learned that advocacy is not “someone else”s job,” and that one person can make a difference.

Leif Ozier from Catholic Charities and I spent the day meeting with the staffs of Assemblyman Martin Garrick, Assemblyman George Plescia and Senator Mark Wyland. Each visit made clear not only that these staff members were very happy to meet with us, but also that they were anxious to hear what we had to say. I soon realized that with the enormous volume of bills, their bosses could not possibly know everything about each one. We were there to educate, and they were there to learn what their constituents had to say.

As luck would have it, we had a general membership (brown bag) meeting here at Interfaith the next week. I put on my newly acquired advocacy hat and spoke to my colleagues about the importance of contacting their representatives and making their voices heard. I emphasized the power of every individual to bring about positive change. They were very attentive.

In the future, I plan on speaking at every one of our membership meetings about a particular issue and to turn at least some of our members into advocates. If it could happen to me, it could happen to them!