Hunger in America

 

I have so much to be thankful for as do all of you! No matter where in life you are, there is always something or someone to be thankful. I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to raise my children knowing where their food comes from, the farm. When my children say mom "I am hungry" it is the perfect time to share with them that fortunately they do not really know what being hungry feels like and I hope they never do. As a mom it truly breaks my heart to know that there are little children here in America that go to bed hungry each night.

 

46 million adults and children are truly going hungry in America. That is 1 in 6 people struggling  with some type of hunger. We are fast approaching the holidays and I would love it if you would help me and my farm community across America partner with +Bayer CropScience US and +Feeding America fight hunger on a big scale.

To take part all you have to do is visit www.thankful4ag.com and create a digital meal with your 4 favorite Thanksgiving meal foods and share it on Social Media.  Each time this is done +Bayer CropScience US  will donate $1 to +Feeding America. $1 provides 10 meals to people who are struggling with hunger.  When you make the fastest Thanksgiving meal ever, it will even share some fun farm facts with you about your meal.  If only fixing the perfect Thanksgiving meal was this easy!

 

 

All it costs is a minute of your time to help those who need a little extra assistance. NOW through December 19th we hope to have 200,000 meals donated to +Feeding America.

As if providing those in need with a warm meal is not enough, when you share your virtual meal on social media and use the #T4AgGrant to your post (must be a teacher or student) +Bayer CropScience US will enter your post for a chance to win a $5,000 grant for your school. 

 

Campbell's Cans and Parkers Puppies

Raising kids is not easy task. Just when you think you have it down pat, they go and pull the wool over your eyes. Raising a little lady and a rough and tough boy are completely opposite. We have great days and some not great days. Just when you think you have raised little monsters, you see a glimmer of what you thought you have been teaching them all along when they go and do something so thoughtful.

We have tried to make sure our kids are very aware of where their food comes from and provide them with many hands-on experiences, even at their young ages of 6 and 4. The kids enjoy gardening and even trips to the local food pantry delivering their produce for those less fortunate than us. As a mom I deal with food every day. We raise food, sell food and cook with food. Campbell and Parker know where food comes from, but I also want them to value what an abundant food supply we are blessed to have. We raise food and what we do not raise we have the means to go to the grocery and buy what we would like to eat. If we want to have turkey burgers for dinner we put it on the grocery list (which I never remember to take with me) and next trip get turkey burgers.

A friend (Kara McCarthy) posted something online that really made me think with the upcoming holidays rapidly approaching. She raised the question “Have you ever been so hungry that you could not sleep?” I have said many times I am starving and I listen to the kids say how hungry or thirsty they are about 5 times a day. I cannot recall ever being so hungry I could not sleep. I am grateful that I have not had that hunger and I never want my children to experience that either, but I know it is out there. While we are blessed with a roof over our heads and a freezer and pantry full of healthful foods, there are many who do not have that luxury.

While some of us are worrying about eating non-GM crops or Organic foods, there are some who just want food. I heard a great quote on a recent trip from a biotech researcher: “I want a 'What will we have for dinner?' society, not a 'Will we have dinner?' society.” By doing research and involving GM crops as a part of becoming a more sustainable country, I truly believe we can work towards eliminating hunger, be more naturally resourceful and provide a safe food for our families and food for our animals.

We talked  with our kids about other little children who truly experience real hunger. The kids came up with the idea that we would challenge our friends and family to donate and volunteer at a local pantry, shelter or find a family in need for the months of  November and December.

Campbell loves to cook so she will be donating to the food pantry and Parker loves his puppies so he will be donating to the local animal shelter.

Many already make donations or volunteer. If you do not already do so, think about involving your children, family and friends and give back to those who need it.

Food Day 2011: Facts to Share and Remember

Every day is food day. We should each be free to buy the food that best fits our values.

Access to abundant and affordable food, which comes from many different production methods, is necessary to ensure that millions of American families do not go to bed hungry.

Today’s food system works to address hunger and food insecurity, and to meet the challenge of feeding a growing global population.

Whether we choose food that is organic or vegan, prepackaged or fresh, locally grown or conventionally raised, from the supermarket or from the farmer’s market, we all want food that is safe, wholesome, raised in a responsible way, and meets our family's needs.

The best food choices for one family may not be right for another. We should support the right to choose the food that fits our lifestyle and our family budget.

Supporting a diverse food supply, raised using a variety of farming methods, is vital to ensuring that we all have access to affordable food. If we limit our ability to produce the food we need, we will increase hunger and food insecurity.

We cannot save family farms or feed a rapidly expanding global population by limiting farming methods or returning to outdated technology.

Placing restrictions on the U.S. food system that limit the ability to produce the food we need will increase the cost of food and limit healthy, affordable food choices for all of us, including those who can least afford it.

Supporting today’s food system in order to produce the food we need using fewer resources is the ethical choice for people, animals and the planet.

Today, one farmer produces enough food in one year to feed 156 people.

If we relied on the food production systems of 1950, as some are suggesting, approximately 150 million people living in the U.S. today would be without food. That’s everyone in the 13 largest U.S. states, hungry.