Hungry to Help

The holidays, no matter the type of celebration, are always a time to be thankful for what we have. Some of the simplest things in our lives that we often overlook develop into the things that we sense the most gratitude towards. Whether it be the roof over our heads, the family and friends in our company, a full day of work, or the food on our plate.

“

—	Rachel Kramer, Child Hunger Corps Member with Feeding America San Diego

Fighting Hunger ... Feeding Hope! »

Traci Simmons, a member of the ConAgra Foods Child Hunger Corps, talks about her first days working at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.

The Child Hunger Corps was created by Feeding America as part of a five-year, $10 million grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation.

(Source: feedingamerica.org)

I feel it is necessary to show people that you care for them, and giving provides a unique opportunity to do so.

“

—	Reggie Young, a member of the Child Hunger Corps based in Houston, Texas. The Child Hunger Corps is operated by Feeding America and funded by a grant from the ConAgra Foods Foundation.

How do you reconcile having so much when others have so little?

“

—

Alex Handfinger is a member of the Child Hunger Corps, which is led by Feeding America and funded by the ConAgra Foods Foundation. He works with the Arkansas Foodbank Network to find new and better ways to make sure that children in Arkansas have nutritious meals no matter what.

He shares his thoughts on enjoying the abundance of food with his family during Thanksgiving when he knows there are so many families struggling to put a simple meal on the table.

I am attempting to treat every encounter with the phenomenal “food bankers” of 10+, 20+, and 30+ years experience by remembering my “Marahaba” — always looking for what I can learn from their experiences and thinking how I can be of value to the future of the food bank.

“

—

Kim Shrader, Child Hunger Corps member at Feeding America Southwest Virginia

Kim is one of six Child Hunger Corps members working with food banks across the nation for a two-year period. Some of Kim’s previous experience includes volunteering in Tanzania, where she learned “Marahaba” and more.

Kim and the other Child Hunger Corps members will work with their host food banks to understand child hunger issues in their communities and will implement programs to help those children in need. The work of the Child Hunger Corps is made possible thanks to a grant provided by the ConAgra Foods Foundation to Feeding America.

Read Kim’s blog entry for Feeding America.

The new members of the ConAgra Foods Child Hunger Corps, from left to right, are:

Alex Handfinger, Arkansas Foodbank Network in Little Rock, Ark.
Dorothy Mitchell, Oregon Food Bank in Portland, Ore.
Terri Mangano, Mid-Ohio Foodbank in Grove City, Ohio
Kimberly Shrader, Feeding America Southwest Virginia in Salem, Va.
Danielle Hardre, Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers, Fla.
Reggie Young, Houston Food Bank in Houston, Texas

Photo Credit: The above photo is used with the permission of Feeding America.

Hope for the future

Author: Kori Reed, ConAgra Foods Foundation Executive Director

About this time last year, I joined Feeding America in Los Angeles for a star-studded, benefit concert in celebration of Hunger Action Month. As amazing as it was to be at the concert, I was more excited to be there for the announcement of ConAgra Foods Foundation’s $10 million donation to Feeding America’s efforts to fight child hunger, including the creation of the ConAgra Foods Child Hunger Corps.

When Feeding America requested funding for this program, I was immediately intrigued with the idea of forming a dedicated hunger corps, a group of people working together to advance the fight against child hunger in communities across the country. After hearing from member food banks that dedicated staffing was a barrier to impacting child hunger, Feeding America studied programs like AmeriCorps and Teach for America to create the Child Hunger Corps.

It was an innovative concept that matched the ConAgra Foods Foundation’s goal of building a community of people who are passionate about finding sustainable solutions to the issue of child hunger. Child hunger is a national problem, but one that requires local solutions that take into consideration a community’s unique characteristics and needs.

In committing themselves to a two-year program, Child Hunger Corps members will have time to assess the needs of the community, create meaningful programs and share their experiences with future members of the Child Hunger Corps. (Learn more.)

Taking something from concept to reality takes time. Feeding America first had to develop the framework and training curriculum, then recruit sponsoring food banks, recruit and select Child Huger Corps members, and more. A year after we announced our commitment to Feeding America, the Child Hunger Corps has come to life. (Editor’s Note: “Meet” the Child Hunger Corps & learn about where they’ll be working.)

With anticipation and excitement I met the first six members of the Child Hunger Corps during their training session with Feeding America. These are passionate people who have traveled and worked internationally; served in the AmeriCorps’ VISTA service; have degrees in sociology, anthropology, non-profit studies, political science; and much, much more.

Learning about these people and witnessing their passion for this cause, gives me great hope for the future. Feeding America’s thoughtful approach to building a solid foundation for the members of Child Hunger Corps means they will be that much more successful in their efforts over the next two years. They in turn will share their learnings with the next members of the Child Hunger Corps and so on.

I look forward to sharing the progress we will make with with the Child Hunger Corps – helping kids get the nourishment they need today so that they can flourish tomorrow and every day after.