Statewide Hunger Initiative is Launched in Minnesota - Where were the poor people at the event?
Representatives of Hunger-Free Minnesota, an important statewide Minnesota initiative on hunger, held a press conference today (streamed live on UStream) in Minneapolis. The conference was preceded by a recorded segment which included first-person accounts by people that have recently sought food assistance. These stories documented strong emotions experienced by a range of people receiving food assistance, including veterans, immigrants, a financially-strapped teacher, elderly people, a person making ends meet after a job loss, a woman facing home foreclosure after a divorce -- all people not typically considered as needing food assistance.
After the recorded segment leaders of a coalition of food and health corporations, along with leaders from non-profit emergency assistance organizations, spoke about the Minnesota initiative to fill a gap of 100 million meals. Emery Koenig, a senior vice president with Cargill, spoke about efforts to increase the storage and distribution capacity for emergency food assistance. Pat Geraghty, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota mentioned how a person experiencing hunger is more likely to have diabetes and how a hungry child is more likely to not perform as well in school. Sarah Caruso, president of the Greater Twin Cities United Way, stated that the organization is making a $1 million investment in "prototyped" programs with a "proven track record," though she did not elaborate on the program.
Rob Zeaske, executive director with Second Harvest Heartland food bank in Minneapolis told a story about a family having to give up their dog due to financial problems. He outlined three elements of the Hunger-Free Minnesota initiative: (1) The organization knows the "finish line," that is, the huge gap in missed meals by people in Minnesota. (2) A detailed plan was developed by the Boston Consulting Group, which is a "global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy." (3) A strong coalition of partners is focusing on the programs within the initiative, though details of the programs were not discussed.
Ken Powell, president of General Mills, and Ellie Lucas, campaign officer for Hunger Free Minnesota, also spoke at the conference.
Though the press conference lacked details, the Hunger-Free Minnesota website outlined specifics:
I thought the event would have benefited by having a person off the streets -- unscripted -- speaking for themselves at the podium, or at least have one of the people featured from the recorded message speak out at the event. Would audience members understand conditions of working poor people by listening to their questions to corporate executives?
Despite a lack of dialog between corporate executives and poor people at the event, this statewide initiative shows a significant commitment to addressing the problem with a variety of resources and players, including an effort to get more eligible people to apply for SNAP/Food Stamps. This last project at Second Harvest Heartland includes "six SNAP Outreach Specialists help provide information for distribution to clients, assist with SNAP screening and with SNAP applications including bilingual assistance, provide copies of necessary documents, help take the confusion out of the county application process and offer follow-up advocacy with county workers."
After the recorded segment leaders of a coalition of food and health corporations, along with leaders from non-profit emergency assistance organizations, spoke about the Minnesota initiative to fill a gap of 100 million meals. Emery Koenig, a senior vice president with Cargill, spoke about efforts to increase the storage and distribution capacity for emergency food assistance. Pat Geraghty, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota mentioned how a person experiencing hunger is more likely to have diabetes and how a hungry child is more likely to not perform as well in school. Sarah Caruso, president of the Greater Twin Cities United Way, stated that the organization is making a $1 million investment in "prototyped" programs with a "proven track record," though she did not elaborate on the program.
Rob Zeaske, executive director with Second Harvest Heartland food bank in Minneapolis told a story about a family having to give up their dog due to financial problems. He outlined three elements of the Hunger-Free Minnesota initiative: (1) The organization knows the "finish line," that is, the huge gap in missed meals by people in Minnesota. (2) A detailed plan was developed by the Boston Consulting Group, which is a "global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy." (3) A strong coalition of partners is focusing on the programs within the initiative, though details of the programs were not discussed.
Ken Powell, president of General Mills, and Ellie Lucas, campaign officer for Hunger Free Minnesota, also spoke at the conference.
Though the press conference lacked details, the Hunger-Free Minnesota website outlined specifics:
- Emergency Food System: Strategic initiatives will procure more donated food, support capacity-building and create cost savings within distribution practices.
- SNAP-The Minnesota Food Support Program : Strategic initiatives will increase awareness, decrease stigma, expand outreach and address eligibility criteria.
- Child Hunger and Nutrition Programs: Strategic initiatives will pursue cost-effective school food programs, connect children to summer meal programs and create strong community-based programs .
I thought the event would have benefited by having a person off the streets -- unscripted -- speaking for themselves at the podium, or at least have one of the people featured from the recorded message speak out at the event. Would audience members understand conditions of working poor people by listening to their questions to corporate executives?
Despite a lack of dialog between corporate executives and poor people at the event, this statewide initiative shows a significant commitment to addressing the problem with a variety of resources and players, including an effort to get more eligible people to apply for SNAP/Food Stamps. This last project at Second Harvest Heartland includes "six SNAP Outreach Specialists help provide information for distribution to clients, assist with SNAP screening and with SNAP applications including bilingual assistance, provide copies of necessary documents, help take the confusion out of the county application process and offer follow-up advocacy with county workers."
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