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Hunger Challenge - Week of Events for March 8-14

March 8-14, 2021

HUNGER CHALLENGE WEEK OF EVENTS: March 8-14, 2021

MONDAY, MARCH 8 - Register for a webinar about Bread for the World's annual hunger advocacy campaign

Every year, Bread for the World conducts the "Offering of Letters" advocacy campaign to encourage people to write personalized letters and/or emails to members of Congress on hunger and poverty issues. This year the campaign will span four topics - food systems, climate change, economic justice, and racial and gender equity.  Supported with prayer, these letters are a bold witness to God's justice and mercy.  Today, we urge you to register for a webinar about the campaign.  The webinar will take place on Tuesday, March 9th at noon CST, but advance registration is required.  During the 45-minute gathering, you will learn about our 2021 Offering of Letters advocacy campaign and how you and your church can be involved in our work to reduce hunger in the U.S. and around the world. Click HERE to register. 

TUESDAY, MARCH 9 - Join us for a Living Room Conversation about Hunger and Health in the US. 

Living Room Conversations are a series of virtual small group discussions on a variety of social justice issues.  We all want to ensure that everyone in our community has access to healthy, consistently available food options. The purpose of this Living Room Conversation about Hunger and Health is to share perspectives on food insecurity in our community and to create new relationships between people who do not currently share the same viewpoints. We also want to encourage new ideas, opportunities, and sustained participation in solutions that will benefit this community.

• How do you define healthy food? How about unhealthy food? 
• Have you ever experienced a time of food insecurity in your life? What happened?.
• Are food assistance programs (like SNAP (food stamps) important to you? Why or why not?
• How could we make healthier food more accessible to all? And who is responsible for making that happen? (e.g. the government, communities, individuals?)
• How important is nutrition education? If it is important, where in your view should we learn about nutrition?  How did you learn about nutrition?

Our conversation about Hunger and Health will be held 6-7:30 PM. Advance registration is required. Click HERE to register now. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10 - TAKE ACTION: Stand Up for Families Struggling with Food Insecurity

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps families make ends meet by stretching their grocery budgets. Sometimes called "food stamps," those few SNAP dollars every week make all the difference in the world when it comes to putting nutritious meals on the table.  We need to protect this vital program to ensure millions of Americans don't go hungry. Today we urge everyone to send a message to Congress and tell them to fight against any attempts to cut SNAP funding. On this day, postcards will be available at The Canticle for Sisters and residents to sign and mail to elected officials. Others are encouraged to call Senators and Representatives directly or use this form to send an email message. 

THURSDAY, MARCH 11 - Share Our Sandwiches free food distribution.  

Every Thursday from 12noon-1pm the Clinton Franciscans distribute sack lunches to the hungry in our community at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 715 S. 3rd Street in Clinton (at the rear entrance to the church in the parking lot). To make a food or cash donation or to volunteer contact Lori at 563-242-7611 or lfreudenberg@clintonfranciscans.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 12 - Film and discussion: "Starved: Our Food Insecurity Crisis"

On Friday, March 12 at 3:00 PM, join us for a virtual movie screening and online discussion about Starved: Our Food Insecurity Crisis from WQED, Pittsburgh. More than a million people in Pennsylvania are hungry because they cannot afford or do not have access to healthy food. For some, food insecurity is a matter of financial need. But often, entire communities are cut off from proper nutrition because there are no grocery stores nearby. These so-called "food deserts" are not the only challenge. Some neighborhoods have turned into "food swamps" - places dominated by fast-food restaurants. Further, isolation as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has made matters worse. This documentary examines food insecurity as a societal problem, identifying the causes and exploring the many ways in which the government, non-profits, farmers, and individuals are working to bring nutritious meals to the tables of those who need them. Click HERE to register.

SATURDAY, MARCH 13 - National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference: Co-sponsored by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America. 

Thousands of advocates from across the country will join together March 16-18 for what is being billed as the anti-hunger community's biggest and best conference yet. Participants will hear from officials from the Biden-Harris Administration and the new Congress while capturing the energy and networking opportunities. Register TODAY for this event which will take place March 16-18 online. Cost is $75 per person. Limited scholarships are available. Click HERE to learn more.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14 - Learn more and share this information about hunger in America:

• Learn about the Farm Bill and how it relates to alleviating hunger in America.  The Farm Bill is the largest piece of legislation impacting the nation's agriculture policy and nutrition program.  It protects funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), strengthens The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), and enables vital food donations.  
• One in ten (10.5 percent) of households in the U.S. experience food insecurity.  Find out how hunger affects special populations such as older adults, immigrants, and rural communities. 
• The Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has a mission to ensure every child in the U.S. grows up with dependable access to enough nutritious food to enable them to lead a healthy, productive life. Read their suggested Twenty Actions to Stop Hunger
• In order to develop effective strategies to reach people at risk of hunger, we need to map out areas where food insecurity exists.  View an interactive map here.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the number of people experiencing hunger. Watch this brief video to understand what has caused millions of Americans to face hunger for the first time.  
• The lack of healthy food can exacerbate health issues, including heart disease and high blood pressure, in people of all ages. Discover how the hunger crisis is affecting Americans’ health and what we can do about it.