#hungercantwait

What makes someone stop at the HungerU trailer? Is it the TVs, the pedal tractors, the spin wheel, or the promise of a donated meal? All of these are common and real reasons people stop by every day. Today, at the University of Maryland, I met a lady who stopped for another reason, her daughter. You see, her daughter saw a commercial on tv about people being hungry. She didn't change the channel or tune it out, instead she felt compassion for those people who are hungry. The next moment she told her mom that she wanted to feed those people pancakes. That mother was reminded of the role that she and her family could play in bringing an end to hunger. One of those ways was stopping by the HungerU trailer.

This little girl saw real people with real problems. What if we took our eyes off of ourselves and saw people who are hurting like this child saw. We need to step back and see the bigger picture and the part that we each play. Our role will look different for each person. It may be having a pancake breakfast in Washington D.C. for those who are hungry, or it could educating students about where there food comes from and the importance of preventing food waste.

Kids dream big, they don't see limits. Nothing is impossible in their eyes. What if we saw life the same way kids did? What if we saw hunger through the eyes of a child, real people facing a devastating crisis. What role will you play in the fight to end hunger?

Katie Lukens

When I was in middle school, I used to babysit for a family that had a three year old and a five year old. I remember every Thursday when I went over, Katie (the three year old) would ask me "why" constantly and consistently throughout the night. So when I was making her dinner, she would ask "why are you making me dinner?" When we went to the park to play, she would ask "Why are we going to the park?" Or the best was when I treated her by going to the ice cream parlor, and she asked me why I would give her ice cream. (Who in their right mind would question ice cream?!) Regardless of the fact that Katie was three and just a typical toddler, she was pretty curious for her age. I remember how repetitive my answers would get each time she asked why, but each time I fully answered her questions she seemed to understand, and she felt happier.

I feel like in today’s generation the action of asking questions is sometimes seen as a weakness. It sometimes comes across to me that we have to know everything, and if we don't, then we can't ask. That's why when a student asked me at the Virginia State University what "food insecure" meant, or when another student asked where small hold farmers live, I didn't hesitate to answer their question with the most respect. When it comes to talking about hunger issues and how to be a hunger fighter, there is a lot of confusion. I'll admit that sometimes I'm not sure what certain terms mean, or what questions are being asked.

That's one of the main reasons HungerU was created... To educate others about the hunger crisis around the world. When we go campus to campus, we don't expect those who come by the exhibit to know every detail about hunger issues. We expect to be asked us questions about hunger, and we look forward to holding discussions with others about what they think is the solution to ending hunger. We hope that by answering questions and having conversations, students leave the exhibit empowered and ready to fight hunger whether that's on their school campus, local community or even on a global scale.

Asking a question may seem trivial at first, but understanding what you don’t know is very important. So the next time you're not sure what it means to be food insecure, or even why the hunger crisis is such a big deal, be encouraged that we don’t know everything. Like Katie we should be asking what things means when we don’t know, as this helps us stay informed and grows our knowledge. Katie taught me the importance of asking questions, even if it about ice cream. It’s my hope the next time you don’t know something, you’ll stay curious and ask questions too!

 Lauren Fillebrown

Why is it so easy to forget about hunger when our stomachs are full, yet it’s impossible to forget when the next meal is not guaranteed?

 Hunger does not discriminate. It doesn’t care your background, your education level, your home country, your race or your gender.  

 Hunger breaks my heart, it’s a pain that fueled the fire that lead me a hospital in Jinja, Uganda.   This hospital had three main rooms filled with children and their parents.  Due to the culture in Uganda, each child must have a guardian with them at all times when at the hospital.  Yes, they may leave to use the bathroom, which is just the yard outside because there is not toilet at the hospital, but for the majority of time they must be with the child.   The rooms are not sorted on disease but rather on how ill the child is or appears to be when they are check in.  There is a room for children who have minor illness and are likely to be released, a room for children who have more serious illnesses and about half will never leave the hospital and then there is a room that has almost 100% death loss rate.   There are children who were admitted due to starvation in each room and they were placed according to their condition.  

 There was a small side room with no beds, just concrete floors where mothers who had babies under 6 months old would stay.  All of these babies were admitted for starvation and all of the mothers were breastfeeding.  While using all of their nutrients to feed their children, they were showing signs of starvation themselves.

 Each room had beds lining the walls and filling all the empty space and each bed had 3 to 5 kids depending on their size.   Now my job was to take beet juice or hard boiled eggs to the starving children in each room.  I know it doesn’t seem like much but to children who might not have eaten for weeks, it was the exact nutrients they needed.  The struggle was the make sure the kids ate the egg or drank the juice instead of the parent.  Often times, we had to hold back a parent or guardian so the child could finish their meal.

 A parent taking food from their child?   It doesn’t seem fathomable but like I said before when you are consumed by hunger, it’s all you can think about.  These parents are starving, they have starving children, they need nutrients. They need safe nutrients.  

 You have the ability to make a difference.  Let’s put the arguments about organic, natural, grass fed, GMO-free and free range aside and focus on the issue: Hunger.  

 If your plate is full stop allowing the elephant in the room slip from your mind.  You have the power to make a difference.  

 Agriculture is the answer and it’s a bandwagon we can all jump on.

 Karoline Rose

The Farm Journal Foundation, HungerU, and the Harvard Kennedy School Farming, Agricultural and Rural Matters Professional Interest Council invite you to the Starr Auditorium on April 24 at 5:15 p.m. to engage with an interactive panel of professionals in the agriculture world.

 “What Are the Real Barriers to Feeding People, From the Viewpoint of Real Farmers: An Honest Conversation” will give you the chance to interact with five professionals, who have also played a role in ensuring a nutritionally secure future.  These professionals not only have a background in farming and agriculture, but their studies in economics, political science, and sustainability give them an edge when it comes to discussing global food security and what it means to you.

 So who are the panelists?

 Ray Goldberg has had an impressive variety of roles and honors bestowed upon him thanks to his work in agribusiness ventures both domestically and abroad.  He currently teaches a course on Food Policy and Agribusiness at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.  Ray has three children and six grandchildren.

 T.J. Menn is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and is currently a Master of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.  Having grown up in the Midwest, T.J. cultivated an appreciation of the land, strong work ethic, and deep Christian faith.  He and his wife are moving to West Point after T.J.’s graduation in May to teach economics in the social sciences department.

 Donavon Taves operates Taves Bayou Planting in Monticello, Louisiana.  He grows corn, soybean, and rice and also maintains a small pasture for cows.  He is a Certified Louisiana Master Farmer.  His current passion is raising awareness of the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).  Precision agriculture has been an important aspect of Donavon’s life.

 Paul Willis is the founding hog farmer and manager of Niman Ranch Pork Company in Thornton, Iowa.  He lives and works on the farm where he grew up on.  He and his partner Bill Niman share dedication to sustainable farming and strict animal husbandry standards, which they believe would result in better tasting meat.  Paul has been recognized nationally for his sustainable agriculture and humane treatment of livestock.

 Leena Scaria is a Master in Public Policy student at the Harvard Kennedy School.  Prior to coming to study in Cambridge, Leena spent time working internationally in Africa, Central America, and Germany.  When she completes her schooling, she plans to continue working at the intersection of business and government to find sustainable solutions to intractable social challenges.

 The panelists listed above all have one thing in common: their dedication to agriculture.  Playing an active role in ensuring a nutritionally secure future has been at the forefront of our panelists’ minds.  But what about you?  Everyone can and does play a role in supporting sustainable agricultural and ensuring a nutritionally secure future.

 We can make such an impact on the national and global food supply if we all just take small steps to control and manage our own personal food supply.  Cutting back on how much food we waste and knowing where our food comes from are simple steps we can all take.  It isn’t just professionals who can make a difference, it is our job to implement their findings and suggestions to make the real difference. Together we can work together to end global hunger.

It was just a typical day during my freshmen year gym class when all of a sudden my gym teacher announced that we would be playing lacrosse. Being a soccer player for most of my life, I had never thought that I would have to pick up a lacrosse stick. So naturally at first I struggled learning how to understand the game and the techniques needed to play the game. Eventually it all became natural as I was informed more about Lacrosse which helped me understand and become passionate about the sport. On Saturday the HungerU Crew had the cool opportunity to travel to Colgate University in Hamilton, New York on Saturday for their Patriot League Lacrosse game against Lehigh University. It was so cool being able to understand the game and see the players passion for Lacrosse. As we were handing out HungerU cards to many friends and families of players, I realized how much both lacrosse is similar to hunger around the world. 

Just as lacrosse is a relatively newer sport to many that takes some time to understand, so is it that hunger has become a more pressing issue among the world that many aren't informed about. In fact, today there are over 805 million people do not consume enough food to ensure proper nutrition. Most people, in America especially, can't understand that statistic... In the same way, when first introduced to lacrosse, I didn't understand it because it was such a foreign concept. Since hunger isn't necessarily seen everyday, we as advocates for hunger relief need to think smart about how we can help others be aware. In addition, lacrosse is a game you have to work hard and train immensely for in order to succeed. In the same way if ending hunger both domestically and globally is a goal,  we also need to work hard for it. That includes being examples, informing others and  empowering people to take action. Lastly, in the game of Lacrosse, just as any other team sport, they celebrate the loss and victories together. We need to think with the end in mind... A victory conquering hunger! We need to think about winning together and utilizing all of our strengths and talents for this awesome cause. So whether that's technical support, public speaking or paper work- we all can find our spot to stomp out hunger for good! 

When it comes to eradicating hunger, we need to play smart, work hard, and win together. It was a great day to see Colgate Men's Lacrosse Team pursue their passions and play a great game! By playing smart and working hard, they won together (GO COLGATE!). How will you pursue your passion to help fight world hunger and help the other hunger fighters around the world win together?

 Lauren Fillebrown 

By: Bo/David Williford 

Following any national disaster, the media reports the damage by using numbers that shock audiences.  The number of people who are affected, the residual affects and the dollar amount of damage saturate headlines.  I think that it would be a disservice to the readers of this blog to not include at least one “Damage Report” on this tour’s blog.  Hunger is an international crisis that affects every age, gender and race; why aren’t we treating it as such in our media?  Imagine these headlines hitting your TV screen on your favorite news channel.

Global Hunger Crisis Reaches New High: Kills More People Than Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Combined

Four Million Senior Citizens Living in Food Insecure Homes

Every County in America Subjected to Hunger Crisis: Ranging from a low of 4 percent in Slope County, ND to a high of 33 percent in Humphreys County, MS

Ten Years Until Baby Boom Generation Intensifies Hunger Numbers

15.8 Million Children Going To School Hungry Everyday

15% of Rural American Homes Lack Nutrient Security

With stats like this, how do we neglect this crisis from our conscious?  The National Resource Defense Council reports that a reduction of food waste by 15% could make food more accessible to 25 million people.  That is more than enough to feed every hungry child in America!  Why are we not pursuing this solution as if it was a vaccination?   

Excited to be on the NDSU campus tomorrow! #NDSU #HungerU #FightHungerFollowing

View on Instagram

At North Dakota State University this week I had the awesome realization that I was in one of the most food secure states in the country.  After focusing on the ugly hunger stats for so long it was really reassuring to remember that hunger is solvable.  North Dakota has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation and only 1 out of every 12 people is hungry. 

#NDSU we are on campus and ready to have a great two days of talking about how you can help end hunger! You can find us at Centennial Blvd and Albrecht Blvd #HungerU #HungerCantWait

View on Instagram

Whether you get fired up by wanting to fix the negative or get inspired by seeing the positive, there are plenty of reasons to get involved.  Together we can end hunger for all of the millions of people who suffer so that tomorrow’s headlines may read:

No Hungry County In America

Food Waste Reaches Record Low

Number One Killer In America: Old Age

Food Security at All Time High

By: Bo/David Williford

Comfortable. Stylish. Affordable. Love. Hate. Sustainable. Natural. Local.

Words have a unique place in our society.  They evoke emotions and actions that other visual aids can rarely match.  The artful use of words in ads, books, captions and news articles change our perception in strong and immeasurable ways. 

It's easy to find the beauty of East Campus at University of Nebraska! Come find us in front of the Agricultural Engineering building!

View on Instagram

However, words affect us all differently and have different meanings for each of us. 

When I buy shoes I know what comfort is to me.  If I buy shoes for someone else though, comfort produces uncertainty.  Or style, I can’t buy shoes for someone else based on style.  What I can do is buy the shoe because it has added padding in the sole and was recently worn by a celebrity.  I can validate what makes them comfortable and stylish.

#UNL has been a great campus so far! We have 5 hours left to come by the Union and take our Hunger Challenge! We donate a meal for each one done! #HungerU #HungerCantWait

View on Instagram

After a conversation with a student that was raised in a conventional agriculture setting, I realized that we often times have a hard time saying what we mean.  It reminded me of a moment in one of my favorite books that recently became a movie.

In the book The Giver, Jonas asked his father, "Do you love me?" A simple question that to us would likely yield an easy answer.  The mother goes on to remind Jonas that he has used a very “generalized word so meaningless that it has become almost obsolete.”  Jonas’ father asked him for “precision of language”. 

Come by the Union and check out all the fun! #HungerU #UNL

View on Instagram

In my conversation with the student at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, I realized that he and I were using words so generalized that they had lost meaning but instead of being obsolete, they are being overused.  Like sustainability.  I know what it means to me and likeminded people; but in its use, it elicits much different emotions from people with different perspectives. 

The student and I were both capable of speaking of why farming practices used today have longevity and how agriculture impacts the environment but both simply used the word sustainable.  We failed to validate the term.  When I reflected on the conversation and compared it to my moments with people who didn’t necessarily have the same definition for the word, I realized that validation of agricultural terms is imperative to conveying thoughts. 

The tractor races are getting intense at the Agricultural Engineering Building on #EastCampus. Come see us #HungerU

View on Instagram