Friends, There are hungry children in my district. In fact, there are hungry children in every congressional district in Texas, and I strongly believe that no child in this state should have to endure the suffering wrought by food insecurity. Currently, Texas has the second largest number of food insecure people in the nation. At some point in the last year, 4.2 million Texans either experienced hunger outright or altered their consumption to avoid going hungry. Even worse, Texas has the fifth highest rate of food insecure children in the nation. More than one in four Texas children come from households without consistent access to food. In Dallas County alone, more than 450,000 residents are food insecure. In Tarrant County, more than 290,000 residents are food insecure. While these statistics are unacceptable, I believe that Texans have the tools to feed hungry children in this state. The system making food accessible simply needs to be organized. Locally, we are fortunate to have leaders who have made great strides to ensure that children have access to healthy meals. Statewide, the Texas Hunger Initiative, a capacity building project within the Baylor University School of Social Work, recently partnered with Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit based in Washington, DC, to launch the Texas No Kid Hungry Campaign and develop a comprehensive plan to end childhood hunger in Texas by 2015. To kick off the No Kid Hungry efforts in North Texas, I worked with several public and private stakeholders to organize the Texas No Kid Hungry Dallas Summit. This event will present the problem, but more importantly, will emphasize achievable solutions to ensure that every child in the Dallas area has access to three healthy meals a day, seven days a week. Your input at this summit is invaluable, and I thank you for your participation. Partnering with Texans like you will help highlight the importance of this issue and convey a sense of urgency to others about the work we have ahead to end childhood hunger. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. Sincerely, Eddie Bernice Johnson Member of Congress
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Transcript
Friends, There are hungry children in my district. In fact, there are hungry children in every congressional district in Texas, and I strongly believe that no child in this state should have to endure the suffering wrought by food insecurity. Currently, Texas has the second largest number of food insecure people in the nation. At some point in the last year, 4.2 million Texans either experienced hunger outright or altered their consumption to avoid going hungry. Even worse, Texas has the fifth highest rate of food insecure children in the nation. More than one in four Texas children come from households without consistent access to food. In Dallas County alone, more than 450,000 residents are food insecure. In Tarrant County, more than 290,000 residents are food insecure. While these statistics are unacceptable, I believe that Texans have the tools to feed hungry children in this state. The system making food accessible simply needs to be organized. Locally, we are fortunate to have leaders who have made great strides to ensure that children have access to healthy meals. Statewide, the Texas Hunger Initiative, a capacity building project within the Baylor University School of Social Work, recently partnered with Share Our Strength, a national non-‐profit based in Washington, DC, to launch the Texas No Kid Hungry Campaign and develop a comprehensive plan to end childhood hunger in Texas by 2015. To kick off the No Kid Hungry efforts in North Texas, I worked with several public and private stakeholders to organize the Texas No Kid Hungry Dallas Summit. This event will present the problem, but more importantly, will emphasize achievable solutions to ensure that every child in the Dallas area has access to three healthy meals a day, seven days a week. Your input at this summit is invaluable, and I thank you for your participation. Partnering with Texans like you will help highlight the importance of this issue and convey a sense of urgency to others about the work we have ahead to end childhood hunger. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, November 9, 2011. Sincerely,
Eddie Bernice Johnson Member of Congress
Texas No Kid Hungry Dallas Summit
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 9:00am – 12:00pm
8:30-‐9:00am Check-‐In and Networking
9:00-‐9:10 Welcome Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
9:10-‐9:20 Feeding our Children One Meal at a Time Presenter: Bill Ludwig, Southwest Regional Administrator, Food and Nutrition Services, United States Department of Agriculture 16.2 million kids in America struggle with hunger. Child nutrition programs were developed to help needy families get the nutritious food they need, and they are making a positive difference. Mr. Ludwig will tell more about these programs and how the USDA is working to end hunger in our country.
9:20-‐9:35 Hunger in Texas: Why do we have it? What can we do about it?
Presenter: Jeremy Everett, Director, Texas Hunger Initiative More than 1 in every 4 children in Texas are considered food insecure. In
Dallas County alone there are 187,310 food insecure children. This is an unacceptable statistic. We produce enough food in America to feed everyone—the problem is getting food to the right people, at the right time, and at the right price. Mr. Everett’s discussion will go deeper into the issue of hunger in Texas and Dallas County and what can be done about it.
9:35-‐9:50 Abundantly Responsible: A Call to Action for People of Faith
Presenter: Suzii Paynter, Director, Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission Throughout Scripture, God offers abundance and an end to hunger. Loving
our neighbors includes sharing abundance. The Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission works with churches, communities, and government leaders to help give voice to those often overlooked or ignored by society. Ms. Paynter will discuss the importance of hunger in the faith community.
9:50-‐10:00 Fighting Childhood Hunger in Texas Presenter: Angela Olige, Chief Administrator, Texas Department of Agriculture Child hunger exists in our own backyard. In keeping with national trends, hunger and poverty have increased in Texas. A recent report showed that Texas is among the states with the highest child food insecurity in the nation, with more than 1.8 million children in the state at risk of hunger. Ms. Olige will give an overview of how the Texas Department of Agriculture is fighting this problem and the success it has had statewide and in Dallas County.
10:00-‐10:10 BREAK 10:10-‐10:15 Investing in the Fight to End Childhood Hunger
The success of efforts to end childhood hunger is dependent on the coordination of the public and private sectors, including funding from corporations, foundations, and private donors. A private sector representative from the Texas No Kid Hungry Campaign will speak to the importance of local investment and ending childhood hunger through donations and in-‐kind support.
10:15-‐10:25 Strength in Numbers: Share Our Strengths’ Texas No Kid Hungry
Campaign Presenter: Melissa Roy, Director of State Partnerships, Share Our Strength
Share Our Strength is a national nonprofit whose goal is to end hunger in America. It has launched the No Kid Hungry Campaign in 14 states, most recently in Texas. Share Our Strength will describe the program and its tremendous impact in Texas and across the country.
10:25-‐10:35 The State of Hunger In North Texas Presenter: JC Dwyer, Public Policy Director, Texas Food Bank Network
Mr. Dwyer will discuss current statistics and research detailing the extent of hunger in North Texas and the resources available to fight it.
10:35-‐10:50 Which Way Through the Desert? How Food Deserts Shape Foodways in
Dallas County Presenter: Stacy Cherones, President, Get Healthy Dallas A food desert is any locale where residents face limited access to fresh, healthy food. Ms. Cherones will discuss the findings of her team’s research on food deserts in Dallas and describe the importance of understanding foodways (social processes and patterns related to the access, production, and consumption of food) for developing public policies on health and hunger.
10:50-‐11:00 Improving Student Performance and Behavior One Breakfast at a Time Presenter: Dora Rivas, Executive Director, Food & Child Nutrition Services, Dallas ISD Good nutrition improves a child’s ability to learn. Nearly all Texas public schools (99 percent) offer low-‐income kids a nutritious breakfast at a free or reduced price so they can start their day off right. However, of the more than 2.4 million students in the state who get a free or reduced-‐price lunch at school, fewer than 1.4 million (56 percent) participate in the School Breakfast Program. Dallas ISD is breaking that trend by expanding the Breakfast in the Classroom program to 59 new elementary schools this year.
Presenter: Holly Hirshberg, Executive Director, The Dinner Garden In 2008, Ms. Hirshberg had the idea to help families stretch their food budgets by growing their own produce. Since that time, The Dinner Garden has been on a mission to distribute seeds and has done so to 184 community gardens and over 73,000 thousand individuals, families and community gardeners. This project led to Hirshberg receiving numerous awards, including the Yellow Rose of Texas and being named a 2011 CNN Hero. Ms. Hirshberg will discuss the Dinner Garden and how it is shrinking food costs and bringing fresh produce into homes across the country.
11:10-‐11:25 Panel Discussion: Next Steps Presenters: Jan Pruitt, CEO, North Texas Food Bank; Randy Skinner, CEO, Greater Dallas Justice Revival; Sonia White, Director Nurture Knowledge and Nutrition, CitySquare; Kasey Ashenfelter, No Kid Hungry Campaign Field Director, Texas Hunger Initiative
11:25-‐11:45 Q&A Session 11:45 Closing Remarks
About the Speakers
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson 30th Congressional District of Texas Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is serving her 10th term representing the 30th Congressional District of Texas. The 30th District is entirely within Dallas County and encompasses a large portion of the City of Dallas as well as the entire cities of DeSoto, Lancaster, Wilmer, Hutchins, and Balch Springs. Portions of the cities of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Glenn Heights, Ferris, and Ovilla are also in the district. The Dallas portion of the district is home to the Downtown Central Business District and Arts District, as well as
the neighborhoods of Fair Park, Cadillac Heights, the Cedars, Victory Park, Uptown, Oak Lawn, Love Field, Urban Park, Pleasant Grove, Joppa, South Oak Cliff, Deep Ellum, Munger Place, Swiss Avenue, Lower Greenville, Forest Hills, and West Dallas.
In December 2010, Congresswoman Johnson was elected as the first African-American female Ranking Member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. From 2000 to 2002, she was the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education where she emphasized education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines.
Congresswoman Johnson has been a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee since January 1993, and in 2007 was appointed to serve as Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment during the 110th and 111th Congresses, which, among other things, was responsible for reauthorizing the Clean Water Act.
Presently, Congresswoman Johnson serves on the Aviation Subcommittee, Highways and Transit Subcommittee and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. She is dedicated to improving U.S. foreign relationships and policies, works to improve human rights around the globe, is known to provide excellent constituent services, and is credited with originally authoring and co-authoring more than 150 bills that were passed by the House and Senate and signed into law.
Congresswoman Johnson studied nursing at St. Mary's College at the University of Notre Dame, received a bachelor's degree in nursing from Texas Christian University in 1967, and a master's degree in public administration from Southern Methodist University in 1976. She was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972 where she led the Labor Committee, and was also appointed to serve as Regional Director of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1977. In 1986, she was elected a Texas state Senator.
She is the proud mother of her son, Kirk, and has three grandsons, Kirk Jr., David, and James.
William E. Ludwig Regional Administrator, Southwest Region USDA, Food and Nutrition Service As Regional Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service’s (FNS) Southwest Region, William Ludwig oversees 15 federal nutrition assistance programs in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. These programs include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and other food assistance and nutrition programs.
Throughout his career, Mr. Ludwig has created a positive change in programs which serve vulnerable Americans. Building partnerships with Federal, State and local agencies is a hallmark of Mr. Ludwig’s tenure.
Prior to his present position, Mr. Ludwig served as Regional Administrator for the Mountain Plains Region in Denver, CO for five years. Before serving as Regional Administrator, Mr. Ludwig was the Administrator of FNS for four years, with oversight of a budget of about $36 billion in domestic nutrition assistance programs. Mr. Ludwig previously served for seven years as Deputy Secretary of Social Services in Louisiana.
Mr. Ludwig earned his Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana State University and Master’s in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University. He is a native of Bossier City, Louisiana, and is the father of two daughters.
Jeremy Everett Director, Texas Hunger Initiative Baylor University School of Social Work Jeremy Everett is the Director of the Texas Hunger Initiative, which is a capacity building project within the Baylor School of Social Work and a partner of the United States Department of Agriculture, Texas Department of Agriculture, Texas Health and Human Service Commission, Baptist General Convention of Texas’ Christian Life Commission, Share Our
Strength, Food Research and Action Center, Center for Public Policy Priorities, and the Texas Food Bank Network. Jeremy has worked for international and community development organizations as a teacher, religious leader, community organizer, fundraiser, and organic farmer. Jeremy earned a bachelor’s degree from Samford University and a Master of Divinity from Baylor University.
Suzii Paynter Director, Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission Baptist General Convention of Texas Susan (Suzii) Paynter is the Director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, speaking to Texas Baptists on a wide range of issues related to ethics and public policy. The Christian Life Commission addresses a variety of public policy areas. Current emphases include leading the coalition against the expansion of gambling, human trafficking issues, food policy, energy issues, life issues, children’s needs, and predatory lending practices. Mrs.
Paynter and the Christian Life Commission have been recognized during recent Texas Legislative sessions for effective work and statewide leadership.
She is also an active member of interfaith efforts to affect legislation and policy including the Council on Foreign Relations Religion and Foreign Policy network, and the Evangelical Environmental Network. Previously on the faculty at Stephen F. Austin University and Baylor University, she has been an advocate for religious liberty issues, literacy and early intervention for high-risk children. Mrs. Paynter has served as President of the Samaritan Counseling Center Austin and as a board member of Texas Impact and the Literacy Coalition of Central Texas. Suzii was recently awarded the Distinguished Service to Social Welfare award from the North American Association of Christians in Social Work and 2011 top Lobbyist for Causes by Capitol Inside.
Angela Olige Chief Administrator, Food and Nutrition Division Texas Department of Agriculture As the Chief Administrator of TDA's Food and Nutrition Programs, Angela Olige is responsible for program policy, business operations, nutrition education and outreach, program compliance and oversight of administrative and operational budgets.
Olige began her career in the finance office of the LaMarque ISD, continuing this path while working in the Houston ISD Comptroller's Office. Her first inroads into the field of nutrition happened when she was employed as the Coordinator for Finance and Budget for the Food and Nutrition Division of the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV. She served Clark County for 10 years prior to returning to Texas.
Olige is a graduate of The University of Houston CLC, in Clear Lake, Texas, where she majored in accounting. She was born in Houston and raised in LaMarque, Texas. She is married to Ricky Olige, and is the mother of four children. Olige has two godchildren, four grandchildren and a host of spiritual children. She enjoys family, reading, learning and working in various ministries in her church.
Melissa Roy Director of No Kid Hungry State Partnerships Share Our Strength Melissa is responsible for galvanizing political, nonprofit and corporate support for ending childhood hunger in states and major metropolitan areas across the nation to create localized No Kid Hungry campaigns for Share Our Strength.
Prior to joining Share Our Strength in July 2010, Melissa served as Executive Director for The Atlas Project, where she worked with a top-
notch team to help arm national progressive organizations, party committees, state affiliates, consultants, elected officials and candidates with information that helped make better informed decisions in both electoral and legislative campaigns.
In each of her other roles as a Partner at The Organizing Group, a political consulting firm, Chief of Staff at America Coming Together, the largest progressive voter mobilization organization in the 2004 election cycle, Outreach Director at Friends of Hillary, and Deputy Political Director at the Democratic Governors’ Association, Melissa honed her a passions for bringing people together and working tirelessly to achieve social change.
A native of Waterville, Maine, Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and enjoys cooking for friends and family in her spare time.
JC Dwyer Public Policy Director, Texas Food Bank Network JC Dwyer has worked with anti-hunger groups as small as Food Not Bombs and as large as the United Nations. In his current position as State Policy Director for the Texas Food Bank Network, JC provides advocacy, research and policy expertise to nineteen food banks across Texas.
Stacy Cherones President, Get Healthy Dallas Stacy Cherones moved to Dallas in 2007 to pursue a Ph.D. in Religious Ethics at Southern Methodist University. She holds a BS in Education and Social Policy and BAs in History and Urban Studies from Northwestern University, and a MA in Religious Ethics from Columbia Theological Seminary. Between graduating from Northwestern and returning to pursue advanced academic degrees, Ms. Cherones worked for two large multinational corporations in various
capacities, including Strategic Financial Analysis, Strategic Operations, Community Affairs, and Training. After completing an extended study of adolescents’ experience of food deserts in South Dallas, Ms. Cherones co-founded Get Healthy Dallas in order to pursue further research and advocacy related to food deserts and health promotion in Dallas County.
Doras Rivas Executive Director, Dallas ISD Food & Child Nutrition Services Dora Rivas has been in the school food service industry for 36 years, collecting countless state and national awards both for herself and the school districts for which she works. Rivas has served as Dallas ISD’s Food & Child Nutrition Services (FCNS) Executive Director since January 2005. Prior to this position, Rivas worked for Brownsville ISD’s School Food Service Department for 27 years and served as Brownsville ISD’s Food & Nutrition Service Department Administrator for 19 years.
Rivas is certified with the Texas Association for School Nutrition, credentialed as a school nutrition specialist with the School Nutrition Association (SNA), and is a registered dietitian with the American Dietetic Association. Rivas served as president of the SNA from 2009-10, a member of the Membership Services Committee from 2005-06, and chair of the Public Policy and Legislation Committee. Additionally, she was president of the Texas Association for School Nutrition State from 1995-96, after serving as an officer on the board of directors since 1980. Rivas also held the position of southwest regional director for the School Nutrition Association from 1998-2000 and 2001-02. Rivas currently serves on the Governor-appointed Texas Diabetes Council and the Texas School Health Advisory Council. She also serves on the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Healthy Students = Healthy Families Nutrition Advisory Committee. Rivas received her Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Nutrition from Texas A&I in Kingsville, Texas (now A&M) and her Master of Science degree in Institutional Management from the Department of Restaurant and Institutional Management at Kansas State University in 1980.
Holly Hirshberg Founder, Executive Director The Dinner Garden In 2008, in the midst of a crumbling economy, Holly came up with a plan to help families and communities could weather the tough times by growing produce themselves. Much like the Victory Gardens of the First and Second World Wars, these "Dinner Gardens" would allow people to stretch their food budgets and enhance their nutritional intake. Individuals and families could have greater food security and take a direct part in that effort.
To help people achieve their gardens, Holly started at the beginning: providing people with vegetable seeds, free of charge. Step two was supporting their efforts with gardening information and tips for cheap gardening in the space they had available. She envisioned a nation where front lawns, empty lots, medians, parks, schools, churches, and community centers devoted space to fruit and vegetable gardens. "The Dinner Garden isn't just about the seeds," she says. "It is about giving people hope. It is about showing people another way to live. The Dinner Garden is creating communities where families spend time together in a productive way and children learn that they can create something beautiful and useful to their family."
Holly registered The Dinner Garden as a non-profit corporation in the fall of 2008 in the State of Texas. In January 2009, The Dinner Garden began its mission of distributing seeds. In July 2009, The Dinner Garden became a 501(c)(3) non profit. The Dinner Garden has gardeners in all 50 states and has provided seeds to over 73,000 thousand of individuals, families and community gardeners. They have partnered with organizations, food banks, and businesses across the country, like Catholic Charities, World Food Garden, Seeds for Food, the Wyoming Food Bank, the San Antonio Food Bank, The Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, The Peterson Garden Project, The San Antonio Community Gardeners, and The Salvation Army.
Texas Governor Rick Perry gave Holly the Yellow Rose of Texas Award in 2009 for her work with The Dinner Garden. Holly also won the Cabot Cheese Community Celebrity Award in 2009. In 2010 and 2011, Holly and The Dinner Garden have been featured in Family Circle, Redbook, Woman's World, Angels on Earth, Trends, Urban Farmer and American Dog Magazines. In 2011 Holly was named a 2011 CNN Hero.
Randy Skinner Director Greater Dallas Area Justice Revival Skinner currently lives in West Dallas working as a tireless advocate for those suffering. His home also serves as a spiritual outreach for the community of sixty homes in his neighborhood.
Skinner serves as director of the Greater Dallas Area Justice Revival. Skinner was selected by the leadership team of the Justice Revival Dallas movement in the fall of 2009 to lead the adopted initiatives centered on schools and housing. He has served as executive director of Strategic Justice Initiatives (SJI) since 2001. SJI is a non-profit 501c3 educational organization for the development of safe homes, safe schools, and safe communities.
During his time as director of Strategic Justice Initiatives, Inc., Skinner was credited with bringing a comprehensive overall strategy to the West Dallas area beginning in 2003 which has resulted in a transformation in the housing industry and helped generate millions of dollars to non profits in the city.
As director of the Greater Dallas Area Justice Revival, and consultant to non-profits, government agencies and churches in the arena of urban transformation, Skinner brings a fresh innovative perspective to community transformation for the city of Dallas. He desires to serves the local community by assisting local churches, non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, and businesses by giving them a proven Five Phase Transformation process that begins the process of re-claiming their community. Skinner developed the Five Phase Transformation model as a result of serving as a national consultant to federal, state, and local law enforcement, social, non-profit, and governmental agencies for over the past thirty years. The model begins by helping you utilize research and analysis of your community; works with you personally to develop a campaign to cast new vision, form strategic partnerships, and then guides you on how to build a community rally to mobilize local citizens to reduce crime and poverty. As an advocate for justice, Skinner has committed his life to bringing change and healing in the arena of child abuse, social justice, and communities plagued with poverty and crime. He is noted for his work for justice in Civil Rights cases in the African-American and Hispanic community, as well as for abused children. He has served as a consultant to local, state, and national political parties to assist in community transformation. He has also been involved in consultation with national leaders in Mexico, China, and South Korea.
As an advocate for justice, Skinner has committed his life to bringing change and healing in the arena of child abuse, social justice, and communities plagued with poverty and crime. He is noted for his work for justice in Civil Rights cases in the African-American and Hispanic community, as well as for abused children. He has served as a consultant to local, state, and national political parties to assist in community transformation. He has also been involved in consultation with national leaders in Mexico, China, and South Korea. He currently serves as Chairman of the City of Dallas Ethics Advisory Commission, appointed by Mayor Tom Leppert. He also served on the executive steering committee for Justice Revival 2009 representing Mayor Leppert to the denominational and diocese leaders of the North Texas area.
He has authored numerous books, including Why God Created Dallas: A Historical and Spiritual Map of the City. He is also author of Redeeming the Land: A Guide to Spiritually Mapping Your Community and Cleansing the Land: Praying the Shepherds Heart for Your City. Skinner also serves as a advisor to YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in Tyler, Texas, one of the largest mission sending agencies in the United States. Skinner is a graduate of Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas (B.A.) and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (M. Div) in Ft. Worth Texas.
Sonia White Director Nurture Knowledge & Nutrition CitySquare Ms. White directs both the Food Pantry and the Childrens Nutrition Programs under the umbrellas of Nurture Knowledge & Nutrition. Ms. White also has program management experience in the health care industry and human resource experience in the tire and rubber industry. Ms. White also taught high school art for 10 years while earning her Masters of Science degree in Education.
Kasey Ashenfelter No Kid Hungry Campaign Field Director Texas Hunger Initiative Kasey works in community organizing at the local level to help communities across Texas strategically work to increase food security. He will primarily be working to create and support Food Planning Associations throughout the state. He received his Masters of Social Work from Baylor University in 2011,
and is also working to complete a Masters of Divinity degree from Truett Theological Seminary.
Dr. Aaron is the VP of Policy, Programs, and Research at the North Texas Food Bank. Prior to joining the food bank, she was the founding director of the Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Dallas. She also was a director in the Financial Advisory Services practice at KPMG and a principal consultant with Cap Gemini.
She has over 25 years of financial and operational management experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, and has consulted extensively with a variety of organizations. She is active in the local community,
serving on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, as well as city commissions. She has a MBA with a concentration in Finance and a Ph.D. in Public Affairs.
What’s Next? After a morning of informative speakers, it will be time to get to work! While there are many creative ways to end childhood hunger, here are a few suggestions. Staff and volunteers will be available after the summit to further discuss each level of engagement.
ü Participate in the Dallas-‐Area Food Planning Association (FPA) An FPA is a group of local organizations and individuals—civic leaders, food security stakeholders, corporate representatives, people experiencing food insecurity, and community volunteers—committed to making Dallas food secure. The FPA will meet regularly to assess the structure and procedures of food delivery systems, identify resources and gaps, and create and implement plans to provide more healthy and nutritious food to Dallas residents. All are welcome and needed at the table. You are an important piece of the puzzle and participating in the FPA provides an opportunity for you to engage in solutions to a real problem in the Dallas area.
ü Pledge to be a No Kid Hungry Congregation Faith communities are invaluable in alleviating domestic hunger. The Texas Hunger Initiative’s (THI) relationship with No Kid Hungry Congregations will be one of resource, education, and empowerment. THI hopes to be a tool to connect congregations to one another and to local organizations working to end hunger. The purpose of becoming a No Kid Hungry Congregation is to pledge your support and commit to working to ensure that every child has access to three healthy meals a day, seven days a week.
ü Take the No Kid Hungry Pledge It will take commitments from everyone to end childhood hunger. We need to create an army of supporters who are dedicated to stamping out hunger once and for all. By adding your name, you are joining a movement, and your signature is just the first step. Once you’ve taken the Pledge, you’ll become part of the No Kid Hungry Community and receive information on other meaningful ways that you can make a difference in your area. Go to www.nokidhungry.org/texas or sign the Pledge at the summit.
I believe that no child in America should go hungry. By pledging today, I add my voice to the national movement of people committed to ending childhood hunger in America. I pledge to do more than I ever thought I could to help children gain access to the healthy food they need to grow and thrive. I will help make the invisible hunger visible for my neighbors, my family, and our local, state and national leaders. By uniting my voice with thousands of others, I believe that we can make No Kid Hungry a reality.