Hunger at Home: Food for our Neighbors

This annual gathering will include discussion of both local and national food and hunger issues and tools for advocacy with our elected members of Congress.

This year's Offering of Letters campaign will urge Congress to make changes in the U.S. tax code that will benefit low-income families and help them lift themselves and their children out of hunger and poverty.

• Resource Displays - Talk with representatives of food/hunger organizations
  before morning plenary session.
• Morning Plenary
• Workshops - Morning and Afternoon Breakout Sessions

• Soup Kitchens: How to volunteer and why they are necessary.
• Food Pantries: How to start one in a congregation.
• Second Harvest: Your tax dollars and donations feed the hungry.
• The Hungry Child: Your tax dollars at work through school funding programs.
• Feeding the Widow: Lehigh County meal program.
• Ministry to Our Elders: Meals on Wheels program.
• Community Gardens: Growing for our neighbors.
• Bread for the World: What is it?

• The "Field of Dreams" of Establishing a Local Food Pantry - The Prophetic Nature of Feeding -- Martin Milne
  One cannot address the needs of feeding the poor while holding a nonchalant "If-You-Build-It-They-Will-Come" attitude. The truth is "if you build it, they WILL come." Having experienced what seems to be exponential growth over the past six months since having established the Zionsville Area Food Pantry, we have been learning how important it is to have a clear vision, sound infrastructure, committed volunteer base, and the community's support to operate the pantry.
  Without coddling or spoon-feeding, I will outline what the vision of the food pantry is, how we established governance, what a typical month looks like from preparation to distribution, a brief overview of what is involved by becoming a distribution site with Second Harvest, how we "advertised" the pantry, and what the pantry now means within our community.
  [11am*]

• The Hungry Child: Your Tax Dollars at Work through School Funding Programs -- Pam Gallagher
  How congregations can address hunger in the schools, the Wellness Initiative for kids, school food pantries.
  [11am only]

• Second Harvest: Your Tax Dollars and Donations Feed the Hungry -- Elisa Zaehringer
  Many residents of the Lehigh Valley have heard of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, but few have an understanding of the agency's scope. In 2009, Second Harvest distributed 4.37 million pounds of food which was then distributed to roughly 60,000 individuals each month through a network of nearly 200 member agencies. However, it is more than a distribution center. It also focuses on educating the community about local poverty and hunger issues while advocating for food assistance programs and systemic changes that will, hopefully, eliminate the root causes of hunger. Participants in this workshop will learn how the Second Harvest Food Bank network operates, focusing on four main issues: operations, service, education and advocacy.
  [1pm*]

• Community Gardens -- Elizabeth Griner
  Community gardens are blooming across the Lehigh Valley. This workshop will provide some examples of how churches and church members can get involved in community gardening.
  [1pm*]

• Basic Bread: What is Bread for the World? -- BFW Resource Team
  Bread for the World (BFW) does not collect or distribute food, but instead works for public policies that reduce hunger and poverty. This session will provide an overview of what BFW does and how it works with local congregations and community groups.
  [11am*]

• 2010 Offering of Letters: Moving Families from Poverty to Self-Sufficiency -- BFW Resource Team
  [11am and 1pm]

• "How-To" workshop(s):
  • Offering of Letters
  • Working with Media
  • Letter-Writing Basics ...
  [1pm*]