Nourishing Change - June 2015

June 2015

Building The Movement

Social Movement Delegation to Spain

In May, WhyHunger staffer Jess Powers participated in a social movement delegation to Spain with activists from the US. The trip was timed to coincide with Spain's municipal elections on May 24th. The group learned from new political parties that seek to make electoral politics more accountable and democracy more participatory, from social movements working on housing and healthcare, and from technology and social centers that provide the infrastructure for movement building. By being in a different cultural context, delegate were able to learn from new people, reflect on movement building challenges and successes in the US, and lay the groundwork for building together.

One participant in the delegation, Erica Sagrans, published a piece for In These Times outlining six key lessons for the US from Spain's Democratic Revolution:

1) Movements should keep pushing for radical and participatory democracy by engaging directly with electoral politics-while also maintaining their independence from established parties.

In advance of Spain's municipal elections, movement activists worked with existing political parties to create new "convergence" platforms of "popular unity" specifically for May 24. Barcelona En Comú and Ahora Madrid were not traditional parties, but rather a mix of groups working together-including Podemos and more local efforts that had come out of 15M and the activism that preceded it-while maintaining their own structures and decision-making process.

2. Take steps before the vote to make sure the officials you elect will be accountable to the movement.

Barcelona En Comú candidates signed a code of political ethics called "Governing by obeying," in which they agreed to a reduced salary and making their schedules and income sources public. They also pledged to open up local government, democratize government institutions and promote increased, direct citizen participation as a way to strengthen social movements and make sure they don't lose energy post-victory. Marina Lopez, an activist with Barcelona En Comú, says that now that they have taken power in city government, "we have to continue to exist as a political organization that is close to the citizens and neighborhoods... this is our strength."

Read more here.

Scholarships for Closing the Hunger Gap Conference

Closing the Hunger Gap is a growing alliance of food banks, anti-hunger advocates, and food justice activists from across North America working to strengthen community food systems and move beyond food assistance, toward community-based empowerment initiatives.

Registration for the Closing the Hunger Gap conference opened on June 1st. In order to make Closing the Hunger Gap as inclusive as possible, there are a limited number of scholarships and work trade positions for eligible participants. Scholarships are intended for staff and volunteers from small organizations, people living on low incomes, and emerging leaders. You can apply for a scholarship for yourself, or for a community partner. There are also a few volunteer positions available as well for folks who might not be eligible for a scholarship. The application deadline is June 26. If you have any questions, email

hungergap@oregonfoodbank.org. Click here to read all the details.

Hunger & Health

Come to the Table Summit

Promedica partnered with the Alliance to End Hunger and Presbyterian Health Services to convene the 2nd annual Come to the Table in early June, a half-day summit in Albuquerque, New Mexico that encourages health care organizations to address hunger as a health issue and federal legislators to protect food-related programs and

policies.

"We believe it is critical to build awareness of this issue so that hunger as a health issue becomes a national priority among health care providers and those who oversee funding for the means to help end hunger. Those means to prevent Americans from starving include food banks, food pantries, vouchers, subsidized meals, school and summer meal programs, soup kitchens, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly called food stamps. But these programs alone are not enough to end hunger. We must work collectively to identify and address the core issues that lead to hunger, including education, awareness, and identifying and eradicating food deserts across our communities."

There were several presentations, one of the most relevant to anti-poverty advocates being "Roles of Health Care Leaders in Addressing the Social Determinants of Health" given by Kevin Barnett, DrPH, MCP, from the Public Health Institute. An important point in his presentation was how societal pressures-- worrying about housing, inadequate transportation, lack of access to stores, jobs with high demand and low autonomy, etc.-- also add an enormous amount of stress, which contributes to poor health. While the dominant response to health issues as they relate to hunger focuses on the need for nutritious food, stress associated with poverty is an aspect that cannot be ignored.

Overall, this summit seemed to have a heavy participation from healthcare organizations. The summit could have benefited by the presence and voices of individuals who face health issues associated with food insecurity, as well as those working at food pantries and food banks who are responsible in many cases for innovative solutions to ensure clients get access to nutritious food. The voices and ideas of those on the frontlines are imperative to ensure that solutions and interventions made by the health care sector will be relevant, realistic and successful for those most impacted.

News

Testimony to the National Commission on Hunger in the US

Janet Poppendieck is a WhyHunger board member, Policy Director at the New York City Food Policy Center, and a Professor Emerita in Sociology at Hunter College. Janet had the honor of testifying before the National Commission on Hunger in the United States. She focused on three points: "School lunch should be free for all students; beware of the language of public-private partnerships; and it is time for a White House Conference on Food and Hunger."

The testimony delves into school meals and how it affects children who are in need but not eligible, and those that are eligible but won't eat because of the stigma of the free versus paid system of cafeterias. There are many layers to consider and this testimony touches on some of them; it may just be a first step to stimulate change. Read more here.

Summer Food Service Program 2015

WhyHunger has an extensive list of emergency food providers (food banks, food pantries, food access sites) that includes additional information about healthy food and nutrition. Along with this expanding list on our database, we now have the information for the 2015 summer feeding sites. Call 1-800-5-HUNGRY [1-800-548-6479] in order to get information on summer feeding sites in your area.

Resources

New Report Debunks Walmart's Claims of Sustainability and Fairness in Its Food Supply Chain

WhyHunger ally, the Food Chain Workers Alliance (FCWA), released a new report that exposes major discord between Walmart's labor and environmental claims and the reality in its food supply chain and provides recommendations for improvements. Findings in the report show that Walmart's commitments to improving these standards have not translated to actual improvements in working conditions or the environment across most of its food supply chain.

The report, "Walmart at the Crossroads: the Environmental and Labor Impact of Its Food Supply Chain," looks closely at Walmart's impact on farmers and at the labor and environmental records of 22 major suppliers of popular food items - suppliers include Dole, Taylor Farms, Tyson, and United Natural Foods, Inc.