Why don’t people eat all their food before it expires? And why are the holiday boy scout food drives or the Souper Bowl of Caring, the only times people look through all the food that’s in their house? Food Justice starts at home folks! America, lets cut back on the waste and eat the food we buy!
Why are so many people hungry if there is so much food wasted?
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I am a YAV in Boston, working with and learning about food justice and economic discipleship. These topics have me examining how to live out our biblical calls to love our neighbor, care for the poor, the widows, the orphans, and do justice in terms of our food and economic decisions. It gets pretty complex because our food system and economy are so complex in recent decades.
Why is it that people can buy apples in the supermarket from hundreds of miles away while apple farmers within fifty miles are struggling to pay their workers?
Read more »I will run with that good news until the next thing pisses me off.
Read more »Do justice.
Learn from the world community.
Nurture people.
Cherish the natural order.
Nonconform freely.
~Living More with Less by Doris Janzen Longacre~
Read that again. “Nonconform freely.” It’s right there, waiting for us to let go of our inhibitions and be ourselves in this crazy world full of societal norms- gloriously creative life, waiting for us.
The other YAVs and I spent the first weekend of December on retreat in central Massachusetts. As part of our retreat we went Heifer International’s farm in Rutland, MA. The farm has a global village of exact replica houses from the countries they serve, some livestock, and a group of volunteers who live on grounds to keep the farm functional.
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Are you passionate about supporting community-driven solutions to injustices in the food system, locally and nationally?
If selected, you will work with a team of VISTAs in one of three cities – Louisville, Cincinnati or Indianapolis, to build capacity and work with them to build the power of the grassroots toward positive change. Preference given to people from and planning to stay in those areas. Candidates should send resumes and cover letters by Friday, November 29.
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Presbyterian Hunger Program (PHP) – Jobs Announcement
PHP plans to host 10-12 full-time Anti-Hunger Empowerment Corps VISTA volunteers for 12 months starting Feb. 2014. Four people will be based out of the PCUSA national offices in Louisville, Kentucky, and the others will be deployed as teams in Indianapolis and Cincinnati.
Visit the AmeriCorps*VISTA website for more information about the VISTA program. Visit pcusa.org/hunger for more info about the Hunger Program.
1) AmeriCorps*VISTA Community Food Justice Cultivator (6-10 positions)
Scope: Under the supervision of the National Associate for PHP, the AmeriCorps*VISTA will assist congregations, neighborhoods and organizations in one of three cities in outreach for SNAP, WIC and Senior Nutrition Programs, and in connecting people and communities struggling against poverty to locally-grown, healthy foods through these programs and other grassroots initiatives.
Responsibilities:
– Develop great working relations with congregations, neighborhood leaders, community-based groups, feeding programs, refugee communities, schools and institutions, and food justice organizations in the wider metro area, as well as with farmers, farmers market associations, and related producer/distributor groups.
– Work collaboratively with community and faith groups to develop volunteer, outreach and marketing plans for USDA nutritional programs and local food initiatives, including programs which increase local and healthy options for those lacking access to affordable good food.
– Organize, carry out trainings, and develop leaders to continue training programs.
– Support groups in identifying funding sources for related initiatives; occasional fundraising for local partners possible.
– Increase SNAP and nutrition program benefits use at farmers markets and other markets, and support gardening, farm and nutrition education.
– Assist with other areas of PHP work, especially on social media, story-telling and writing on food justice and related areas, making connections between local and global.
Requirements:
1. Desire and ability to work with a diverse group of people. Must possess cultural competency skills to work with people of many different backgrounds.
2. Ability to motivate oneself and work independently as well as in a team environment.
3. University degree or equivalent life experience preferred.
4. Great phone, face-to-face and written communication skills.
5. Strong interest in community organizing, food justice, social justice, and refugee/immigrant concerns.
6. Must be proactive, innovative, reliable, and detail-oriented (report writing is part of being a VISTA).
7. Fluency in English and one of the following languages preferred: Spanish, French, Creole, Nepali, Burmese, Lingala, Kituba or Somali.
8. Understanding of how congregations and faith-based agencies work, or willingness to learn.
9. Flexibility about work hours and willingness to work evening and weekend hours.
10. Must be willing to commit to one year as a full-time worker with AmeriCorps*VISTA and PHP. VISTA requires that applicants have no outside professional or educational commitments.
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2) AmeriCorps*VISTA National Food Justice Coordinator (2 positions)
Scope: Under the supervision of the National Associate for PHP, the AmeriCorps*VISTA will inspire, equip and connect congregations and organizations in several USDA target states around the United States in methods and best practices for outreach on SNAP, WIC and Senior Nutrition Programs, local food economy building, volunteer recruitment and management, fundraising, and in supporting people and communities struggling against poverty to strengthen their voices and increase access to locally-grown, healthy food.
Responsibilities:
– Develop great relationships with people, congregations, interfaith hunger ministries, PHP grantee and other organizations in the target states, as well as with local producer/distributor and food justice groups in those areas.
– Work collaboratively with community and faith groups to develop volunteer, outreach and marketing plans for USDA nutritional programs and local food initiatives, including programs which increase local and healthy options for those lacking access to affordable good food.
– Help facilitate the development and implementation of training programs.
– Support groups in finding funding sources for related initiatives; occasional fundraising for food justice partners possible.
– Assist groups and congregations in increasing SNAP and nutrition program benefits use at farmers markets and other markets, and support gardening, farm and nutrition education.
– Assist with other areas of PHP work, including global food and land issues, writing for PHP blogs and PHP Post, etc.
Requirements:
1. Desire and ability to work with diverse groups and individuals. Must possess cultural competency skills to communicate with and work with people of different backgrounds.
2. Ability to motivate oneself and work independently as well as in a team environment.
3. University degree or equivalent life experience preferred.
4. Excellent phone, face-to-face and written communication skills; strong computer, social media and presentation skills.
5. Strong interest in community organizing, food justice, social justice, and refugee/immigrant concerns.
6. Must be proactive, innovative, reliable, and detail-oriented (report writing is part of being a VISTA).
7. Fluency in Spanish a plus.
8. Understanding of how congregations and faith-based agencies work, or willingness to learn.
9. Willingness to work some evening and weekend hours; willingness to do some travel.
10. Must be willing to commit to one year as a full-time worker with AmeriCorps*VISTA and PHP. VISTA requires that applicants have no outside professional or educational commitments.
To apply for this position, please email a cover letter and resume to Andrew by November 29, 2013.
Go to their website to learn more about AmeriCorps*VISTA.
For more information, call Andrew Kang Bartlett at (502) 569-5388.
Read more »Federal food assistance programs, particularly WIC and SNAP, have the ability to carve out spaces in which individuals can be empowered… The increased buying power that SNAP offers low-income families and individuals is a tool they can use to take control of their diet. WIC, even with the restrictions, is yet another tool. These resources, along with other resources such as budgeting and nutrition education, provide a space in which individuals have authority over what they eat and how they use their personal resources. And this authority, this control over their being, gives spaces for empowerment.
Read more »As a young American in my mid-twenties, I am accustomed to a rather mobile lifestyle. I have moved in and out of six different cities in the past six years. I have family scattered in multiple states, and the majority of my friends live somewhere other than their hometown. This mobility is part of the culture in which many of us are immersed. There is nothing intrinsically good or bad about our mobility or our tendencies to wander. At the individual level, it is conducive to self-discovery, fosters curiosity and open-mindedness, and nurtures the adventurous spirit. The impact of the “mobile mindset” on the community level can be viewed from many angles. What interests me at the moment is how our sense of place and commitment to our immediate community affects what we eat and how our food is grown.
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Read more »My shoulders sag under the weight of my grocery bags. Sweat drips down my back as I peer down the highway, my eyes scanning traffic for the number 17 bus. It’s five minutes late and the afternoon sun has all but melted me and my fellow bus riders into steaming puddles on the cracked sidewalk.
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That evening I sat on my front porch and stared at my green grass and budding bushes. I wanted to throw a 2 year old style tantrum, of not understanding why the world was so unfair. I was ready to take control of my food system. I was ready to get back to the dirt and simpler times. I was ready to turn my yard into a demonstration of how to do so. But for reasons beyond my control, I could not.
How was it that the ecological revolution I saw budding in myself and my backyard was so easily derailed by the previous industrial one of my predecessors?…