September is Hunger Action Month. Nearly 49 million people in America face hunger. That is 1 in 6 of the U.S. population – including more than 1 in 5 children. Don’t let their struggles go unheard. Join the Feeding America network of more than 200 food banks and Speak Out Against Hunger. http://hungeractionmonth.org/
Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.
Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to an estimated 37 million low-income people annually, a 46 percent increase from 25 million since Hunger in America 2010.
Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.
Hunger can affect anyone. Feeding America has identified groups at risk, including young children, hunger in the suburbs, rural hunger, senior hunger, and the working poor.
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Special on Childhood Hunger Kate is a fictional character who represents the very situation in which many children find themselves when their parents lose their jobs. Find out how you can help this Hunger Action Monthhttp://hungeractionmonth.org/
Childhood hunger hinders a young person's ability to learn. They are more likely to suffer from poverty as an adult. Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive citizens. Insufficient nutrition puts children at risk for illness and weakens their immune system. The immature immune systems of young children, ages 0 – 5, make them especially vulnerable to nutritional deprivation and as a result, the ability to learn, grow, and fight infections is adversely affected.
On Saturday, May 11, 2013, the National Association of Letter Carriers will do their part to Stamp Out Hunger across America. Now in its 21st year, the Stamp Out Hunger effort is the nation's largest single-day food drive collecting more than one billion pounds of food since its inception in 1993. In 2012, Americans donated more than 70 million pounds of food, which marked the ninth consecutive year at least 70 million pounds were collected.
The Stamp Out Hunger food drive provides food to local food banks and pantries that rely on donations. With more than 50 million Americans living at risk of hunger, food banks across the country continue to experience record demand for emergency food assistance.
Donate items, such as canned meats, fish, soup, bottled juice, vegetables, pasta, cereal and rice that do not require refrigeration. Please do not include expired items or glass containers.
Stamp Out Hunger 2013
Remember to help out on May 11, 2013.
Place non-perishable food products in a bag and leave at your mailbox.
Your Letter Carrier will deliver the food to local food banks.
Today, more than 46 million Americans—and 1 in 6 children (18 percent of all American children) are living below the poverty line. They live in families who have to make difficult choices between food, health care, heat and rent. To bring attention to this national crisis, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has designated January as “Poverty in America Awareness Month.”
CCHD is committed to working towards the elimination of poverty in the United States. Sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization, CCHD today stands as one of the nation’s largest funding organizations for self-help programs for the poor.
Tour Poverty USA
Sesame Street Hunger Special
What Does Hunger Feel Like?
Shopping Matters Tour
Numbers of Hungry Children
Increasing In US
CCHD invests in the dignity of people living below the poverty line. Their programs support self-sufficiency and self-determination for people who are working to bring permanent change to their communities. Their philosophy emphasizes empowerment and participation for those in poverty. By helping the poor to participate in the decisions and actions affecting their lives and communities, CCHD empowers them to move beyond poverty.
Since 1970, CCHD has provided about 8,000 grants to self-help projects to aid those living in poverty. Each year CCHD distributes national grants to more than 300 projects and hundreds of smaller local programs are funded through the 25 percent share of the CCHD collection retained by dioceses.
During Poverty in America Awareness Month, the CCHD devotes efforts to heightening the nation's understanding of the size and depth of the problems of poverty by:
• Releasing public service campaign to raise awareness of poverty in America.
• Encouraging the editorial media to focus on poverty.
• Educating the public to be sensitive to the needs of those in poverty and to treat poor people with respect.
• Holding events in schools and public settings to remind people poverty does exist in American.
USA Poverty Statistics
The official poverty rate in 2009 was 14.3 percent, that is up from 13.2 percent in 2008. The number of people living in extreme poverty (those with incomes below half the poverty line), rose to over 17 million people. This is the highest level on record since data first became available in 1975. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division: 2008
Brother can you Spare a Dime? (1920's)
Different Ways to Get Involved
1. Volunteer 2. Make a donation 3. Share your knowledge
UNICEF was created on December 11, 1946 by the United Nations to provide children with food, clothing and health care. UNICEF believes nurturing and caring for children are the cornerstones of human progress. UNICEF is active in more than 190 countries and territories through country programs and National Committees. History of UNICEF
Sir Roger Moore narrates a brief history of UNICEF, telling the story of a small UN agency founded to bring relief to the children in countries torn apart by WWII to the global force for health, education, and child protection it is today.
UNICEF Facts
Poverty contributes to malnutrition, which in turn is a contributing factor in over half of the under-five deaths in developing countries. Some 300 million children go to bed hungry every day. Of these only eight per cent are victims of famine or other emergency situations. More than 90 per cent are suffering long-term malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency. (State of the World’s Children, UNICEF, 2005)
In all developing regions, children in rural areas and children from poor households are more likely to be underweight due to lack of nutrition. (Progress for Children, UNICEF, 2010)
884 million people lack access to improved drinking water sources, and 84 per cent of them live in rural areas. (Progress for Children, UNICEF, 2010)
In wake of the floods, malnutrition threatens
thousands of children in Pakistan
The United Nations (UN) annually observes the International Volunteer Day (IVD) for Economic and Social Development on 5 December. The day, gives volunteers a chance to work together on projects and campaigns promoting their contributions to economic and social development at local, national and international levels. This is the 11th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers.
The event offers an opportunity to join a global effort to revive the spirit of volunteerism. Many communities from all over the world have planned events throughout the year to showcase the diversity and depth of volunteering worldwide and to mobilize many more volunteers.
The future of tomorrow are the children of today.The world is fighting to meet the target of reaching the eight Millennium Development Goals by marking Universal Children's Day on November 20.
A review of organizations dedicated to improving the quality of Children's lives. Presented through songs, news reports, mission statements and children.
Universal Children's Day, 20 November
Produced by: Fabrica
The Meaning of Universal Children's Day
By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. It recommended that the Day was to be observed also as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideals and objectives of the Charter and the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested to governments that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each considers appropriate. The date 20 November, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
In 2000 world leaders outlined Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. Though the Goals are for all humankind, they are primarily about children.
1. Malnutrition is a major contributor to disease and early deaths for mothers and children. Undernutrition, including vitamin and mineral deficiencies, contributes to about one third of all child deaths, and impairs healthy development. At the same time, growing rates of overweight are linked to a rise in chronic diseases. The result is a double burden of malnutrition.
2. An indicator of chronic malnutrition is stunting. This is when children are too short for their age group. About 165 million children globally are stunted resulting from not enough food, a vitamin-mineral poor diet, inadequate child care and disease. As growth slows down, brain development lags and stunted children learn poorly.
3. Wasting and bilateral edema are severe forms of malnutrition - resulting from acute food shortages and compounded by illness. About 1.5 million children die annually due to wasting. Rising food prices, food scarcity in areas of conflict, and natural disasters diminish household access to appropriate and adequate food, all of which can lead to wasting.
4. Essential vitamins and minerals in the diet are vital to boost immunity and healthy development. Vitamin A, zinc, iron and iodine deficiencies are primary public health concerns. About 2 billion people are affected by inadequate iodine nutrition worldwide. More than one third of preschool-age children globally are vitamin A deficient. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children.
5. Maternal undernutrition leads to poor fetal development and higher risk of pregnancy complications. Together, maternal and child undernutrition account for more than 10 percent of the global burden of disease.
6. For healthier babies, WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months, introducing age-appropriate and safe complementary foods at six months, and continuing breastfeeding for up to two years or beyond. Worldwide, about 20% of deaths among children under-five could be avoided if these feeding guidelines are followed. Appropriate feeding decreases rates of stunting and obesity and stimulates intellectual development in young children.
7. Nutritional problems in adolescents start during childhood and continue into adult life. Anemia is a key nutritional problem in adolescent girls. Preventing early pregnancies and assuring adequate intakes of essential nutrients for developing girls can reduce maternal and child deaths later, and stop cycles of malnutrition from one generation to the next. Globally, anemia affects 42% of pregnant women.
8. The rise in overweight and obesity worldwide is a major public health challenge. People of all ages and backgrounds face this form of malnutrition. As a consequence, rates of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other diet-related conditions are escalating worldwide. These are very difficult to treat in places with limited resources and with already overburdened health systems. About 43 million children under age five are overweight, according to 2011 figures. 9. Nutrition information is required to identify the areas where assistance is most needed. WHO released international child growth standards that provide benchmarks to compare children's nutritional status within and across countries and regions.
10. Public education is another way to improve nutritional health. Starting in China during the Beijing Olympics, and continuing in other countries, WHO and Member States will promote "5 keys" to a healthy diet:
a. give your baby only breast milk for the first six months of life
November 2010, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and ADA Foundation officially launched their first joint initiative, Kids Eat Right. The two-tiered campaign aims to mobilize ADA members to participate in childhood obesity prevention efforts, and to educate families, communities, and policy makers about the importance of quality nutrition.
Mission: The Kids Eat Right campaign was launched to support public education projects and programs that address the national health concern of obesity among our children.
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To learn more about the Kids Eat Right Campaign visit:
Free The Children's We Create Change campaign is one of Canada's largest penny drives. The goal is to provide clean water to 100,000 people in the Adopt a Village communities around the world.
"Imagine a new idea as vital as democracy.
Now imagine helping it spread
quickly throughout the world! Child Honouring is one such idea,
an idea whose time has come.
- Raffi
He is known to millions as "Raffi", a beloved songwriter and performer, author, ecology advocate and founder of Centre for Child Honouring. Child Honouring is a vision for creating a humane and sustainable world by addressing the universal needs of children.
Raffi's tribute to humanity's hero sprang from Mandelas call to global leaders in 2000 to turn this world around, for the children. In 2001, Raffi sang this for Nelson Mandela at Torontos Ryerson University. The song expresses the essence of Raffi's Child Honouring philosophy, a children-first paradigm for societal change. A child-friendly world enriches all of us, and offers the best chance to create sustainable cultures. All children want to live in peace, and to follow their dreams.
World Food Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in November 1979. FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on October 16th, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.
The official World Food Day theme, announced each spring by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, gives focus to World Food Day observances and raises awareness and understanding of approaches to ending hunger.
“Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world” is the formal wording of the 2012 theme. It has been chosen to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger.
Interest in cooperatives and rural organizations is also reflected in the decision of the UN General Assembly to designate 2012 “International Year of Cooperatives.
World Food Day 2012This World Food Day, you can help to change the life of a child like Molly at no cost to you. All you need to do is watch. At the end of the video, please take a few minutes to take Molly's quiz, http://www.wfp.org/molly
Hungry Planet Episode 20 - Special Report
Presented in this video are three reports on agricultural cooperatives, a key to food security.
In Guatemala, farmers making a living from small plots of land struggle to produce bigger crops, become better connected to markets and earn more money.
In Afghanistan, as foreign troops prepare to leave, an unexpected kind of peace building is taking place thanks to the rise in dairy cooperatives.
In Southern Niger, agricultural cooperatives gain access to better seeds and better farming techniques to fight the region's severe droughts.
World Food Day Poster Design Competition - The Winners!
The first-ever World Food Day Poster Design Competition, for children and young people, drew some 3,621 posters from 72 countries around the world.
The winning posters were announced on World Food Day – Tuesday, 16 October 2012 – by FAO and the United Nations Women’s Guild in Rome, Italy, organizers of the international contest.
Contestants were asked to interpret the 2012 theme of World Food Day: “Agricultural cooperatives: key to feeding the world.”
Posters were drawn, painted, sketched, or created digitally. The judges selected the top 3 entries in each of 3 categories: ages 5-8, ages 9-12, and ages 13-17.
*Encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
*Encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;
*Encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
*Heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
*Promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and
*Strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development. To learn more about World Food Day, visit the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Resource. Feeding America
In many ways, America is the land of plenty. But for 1 in 6 people in the United States, hunger is a reality. Many people believe that the problems associated with hunger are confined to small pockets of society, certain areas of the country, or certain neighborhoods, but the reality is much different.
Right now, millions of Americans are struggling with hunger. These are often hard-working adults, children and seniors who simply cannot make ends meet and are forced to go without food for several meals, or even days.
It’s time to educate ourselves about the causes of hunger in America.
One in Seven US Seniors Live in Poverty
Feeding America network of 200 food banks across the country are first-class organizations in the fight against hunger. They are more than just distribution centers, they are core to providing hope to the communities they serve.
Nearly 49 million people in America face hunger. That is 1 in 6 of the U.S. population – including more than 1 in 5 children. Don’t let their struggles go unheard. Join the Feeding America network of more than 200 food banks and Speak Out Against Hunger. http://hungeractionmonth.org/
Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.
Feeding America provides emergency food assistance to an estimated 37 million low-income people annually, a 46 percent increase from 25 million since Hunger in America 2010.
Among members of Feeding America, 74 percent of pantries, 65 percent of kitchens, and 54 percent of shelters reported that there had been an increase since 2006 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.
Hunger can affect anyone. Feeding America has identified groups at risk, including young children, hunger in the suburbs, rural hunger, senior hunger, and the working poor.
Special on Childhood Hunger Kate is a fictional character who represents the very situation in which many children find themselves when their parents lose their jobs. Find out how you can help. http://hungeractionmonth.org/
Childhood hunger hinders a young person's ability to learn. They are more likely to suffer from poverty as an adult. Scientific evidence suggests that hungry children are less likely to become productive citizens. Insufficient nutrition puts children at risk for illness and weakens their immune system. The immature immune systems of young children, ages 0 – 5, make them especially vulnerable to nutritional deprivation and as a result, the ability to learn, grow, and fight infections is adversely affected.
Current News, Resources and Events in Nutrition, Food, Health, Environment, Safety and Disability Rights. Encourages awareness and inspires ideas for Journalists, Educators, Consumers and Health Professionals. Wellness News is up-dated daily and includes weekly and daily events. To view the entire Newsletter online click here or subscribe to Wellness News by adding your email address to the link on the left.
September Health, Nutrition, and Food Events
September
Events, Celebrations and Resources Weekly and Daily Events can be found in
the Wellness Newsletter.
World Food Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in November 1979. FAO celebrates World Food Day each year on October 16th, the day on which the Organization was founded in 1945.
“FOOD PRICES – FROM CRISIS TO STABILITY” has been chosen as the 2011 World Food Day theme to shed some light on this trend and what can be done to mitigate its impact on the most vulnerable.
WORLD FOOD DAY 2011
On World Food Day 2011, let us look seriously at what causes swings in food prices, and do what needs to be done to reduce their impact on the weakest members of global society.
The objectives of World Food Day are to:
*Encourage attention to agricultural food production and to stimulate national, bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental efforts to this end;
*Encourage economic and technical cooperation among developing countries;
*Encourage the participation of rural people, particularly women and the least privileged categories, in decisions and activities influencing their living conditions;
*Heighten public awareness of the problem of hunger in the world;
*Promote the transfer of technologies to the developing world; and
*Strengthen international and national solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty and draw attention to achievements in food and agricultural development.
