"You must open your eyes, so that your heart will be broken. Because it's after your heart is broken that you will raise your voice."  -Celestin Musekura 

Dear Friends,

Have you ever heard a story that shook you, broke your heart and drove you to action?

Over the 7 years that I've worked for Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon, I've been honored to have many families share their stories with me. Connecting parents to resources to help feed their kids is deeply gratifying.

Several months ago I got a call from a mom, Amy, that was different. She and her middle-school age son had been struggling, and had already called the usual places. Now they were at a crisis point with food and it was late Friday evening.

Amy quietly admitted to me that she had corn in the house- that was all she or her son would be eating for the weekend.

Even after working for so long on hunger, Amy's story shook me deeply. As a parent, I heard the stress, desperation and persistence in her voice. Though they needed food that evening, she was really hoping for a long-term solution.  

We helped Amy and her son get through the weekend, but more importantly, we are pushing for changes that will prevent parents like Amy from reaching that crisis-point again every month. "Ending Hunger Before it Begins" is truly our goal.

We have a plan for our state. It's helping feed people today and preventing hunger long term. Things in Oregon have changed as a result of our collective work. Your support makes this possible.  

I'm not a natural advocate - the status quo is sometimes easier to live with than a fight. But I've seen the realities of hunger. When I saw it happen over and over, to so many, my heartbreak turned to anger, then to passion. Surrounded by so many others committed to ending hunger, I've found my voice.

There are many ways to raise your voice. One of the simplest, yet most impactful, is to sustain this effort financially (even if you've given in the past, see below for a great reason to do so again now). Please support the work of ending hunger for Amy. For her son. For all of us.