Ending Hunger Now

Recently, TED, an innovative series of conferences on “Ideas worth spreading,” posted a talk by Josette Sheeran, the head of the UN’s World Food Program. In her 18 minutes on the stage, Sheeran tackles the topic of global malnutrition and her vision for ending hunger now.

While Sheeran primary speaks to the devastation of hunger and starvation internationally, her message still applies to our struggle with food in Maryland:

1.       Access to food, not abundance of food, is a major barrier to addressing hunger (think Baltimore food deserts*, lack of transportation or low mobility, poverty)

2.        80% of people worldwide have no food safety net  (our clients struggle with both poverty and severe illnesses--- most have no traditional support system to turn to in times of crisis)

3.       Addressing hunger is more than a compassionate cause – there are true economic benefits gained by investing in healthier citizens (on the local scale, think lower emergency room costs, more self-sufficient and unified families, more productive community members)   

Here at Moveable Feast, we believe that healthy, nutritious food is a right – and we provide it at no cost to both our clients and their dependent children – knowing that at the very core of what we do is hunger relief.  

As Josette Sheeran puts it, “We cannot afford to not invest in the access to adequate, affordable nutrition for all of humanity.”  

*According to the CDC, food deserts are areas where residents lack access to affordable foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet.