Local View: On Hunger Awareness Day, keep open mind, heart

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BY SUSANNE BLUE

As executive director of Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, a hunger relief and outreach program serving Lincoln’s working poor and homeless, I have ample opportunity to witness firsthand the devastating effects of food insecurity, extreme poverty and hunger — hunger in the broadest sense of the word.

Even though I have this intimate exposure, it is still overwhelming to learn of the great need to provide hunger relief in our community, across the state and throughout our nation. 

Last year Matt Talbot, through a committed and diverse army of volunteers, provided nearly 112,000 nutritious meals to Lincoln’s vulnerable population. This number, while certainly significant, is only the tip of the iceberg. 

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In the 2006 State of Hunger for Lincoln and Lancaster County report, sponsored by the Joint Budget Committee, United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County and the Food Bank of Lincoln, 3,765,173 pounds of food or roughly 2,941,542 meals were provided in an attempt to address hunger relief in Lancaster County. 

This total includes congregate meal providers such as Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach and the Gathering Place, the collaboration with the Center for People in Need and the Food Bank through the weekly Neighborhood FOOD Program, all the various food pantry sites through local churches, People’s City Mission and Catholic Social Services, as well as meals provided at transitional and emergency shelters such as CEDARS, Friendship Home, Fresh Start and St. Monica’s, to name a few.

Nationally, the picture is not much different.  A recent report from the Food Research and Action Center informs us that, “One of the most disturbing and extraordinary aspects of life in this very wealthy country is the persistence of hunger.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed that in 2005, 36.1 million people lived in households considered to be food insecure. Of those 36.1 million, 22.7 million are adults (10.4 percent of all adults) and

12.4 million are children (16.9 percent of all children).

Nebraska Appleseed reports that in the state of Nebraska,

10.8 percent of the total population lives in poverty and 73,000 households are considered to be food insecure. Nebraska’s free and reduced-price meal student participation rate ranks 45th in the nation, and our state ranks 25th nationwide in food-stamp participation.

I could go on and on about statistics and great needs to help raise awareness about hunger issues, but I hope by now I have made my point. Hunger, in our prosperous community, is a real and deeply concerning issue which becomes more obvious all the time.

What may not be as obvious is the hunger people experience by virtue of their socioeconomic status. Our working poor and homeless friends are struggling. Battling the stigma of poverty, often with few social supports and demoralized by their dependency on health and human services and the kindness of strangers. We are not all blessed with the same gifts and opportunities. I see the faces; the pain and humiliation are evident, and the hunger for belonging, especially for our homeless population, is obvious.

Today is Hunger Awareness Day, and it is important that we acknowledge real hunger in our community, nation and world. We must also attempt to alleviate that hunger by supporting agencies that provide hunger relief and by opening our hearts to the real pain that people in poverty endure. I am optimistic that, at least in our own community, we can alleviate hunger through the strong collaboration of agencies dedicated to addressing hunger issues and because of the many wonderful compassionate people of Lincoln. 

You are welcome to join in the effort. It starts by treating your family members, neighbors, coworkers and friends with dignity and respect. Taking it a step further by showing this same dignity and respect to a stranger in need means avoiding judgment and attempting to understand the complicated culture of poverty. Keeping an open heart can allow your empathy to deepen and will have a great impact in the fight against hunger — hunger in the broadest sense of the word. And if you do that, I am confident that you will be fed, too. 

Susanne Blue is executive director of Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach.