Loaves and Fishes in Abundance
I am always surprised where I will find something about hunger and how we are called to help bring it [...]
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The Call to End U.S. Hunger by 2030
Date posted: Sunday 30 October 2022
The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, held on Sept. 28, unveiled the administration’s national strategy for ending hunger here in the U.S. by 2030. This plan urges not only federal, state, tribal, local and territory governments to be involved, but also the private sector, academia, nonprofit and community groups as well. Yes, that includes faith communities!
This strategy is a roadmap of sorts including action that the federal government can take administratively, proposals that will need congressional approval, and actions that non-governmental groups will need to take if the 2030 goal is to be reached. It calls for advancing economic security, for investing in child nutrition programs, for expanding SNAP eligibility, and supporting food sovereignty and access to traditional foods.
Be alert to any and all news of progress, especially as the Farm Bill comes up for reauthorization in 2023. Read, listen and advocate. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could truly end hunger for everyone in our country by 2030?
Vernita Kennen
Incarnation, Shoreview
P.S. I have long been involved with Bread for the World (BFW), which had been at work with regional gatherings to urge the administration and Congress to hold a conference on hunger. BWF also sent a letter to President Biden with more than 400 signatures of local pastors and faith leaders calling for the conference. Another conference call for Bread activists brought more input and feedback. Things like SNAP, food waste and economic security were topics that surfaced over and over in those conversations and it was good to see them included in the strategy.
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