Hunger Close to Home Summit scheduled for June 3 in Superior, Wis.

When was the last time you went without a meal? No, not because you were running late. Not when you were trying to fit into those clothes, or when you just were not hungry.

How recently was your cupboard or fridge truly bare and you had nothing to eat (not just foods you don’t like)? Most of us have enough in our freezers and cupboards to eat for days or weeks without grocery shopping. And it’s usually our choice when we go hungry.

But for many people in our area, going hungry is increasingly common. With prices steadily rising and many people losing jobs or not finding work, food is becoming a luxury.

The Duluth-Superior area is below the national average for food security, meaning a sizable number of folks are unable to afford enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle. The number of families in Wisconsin using government programs such as food stamps (now called Food Share) and WIC (the Women, Infants and Children program) and frequenting food pantries has been increasing yearly since 1999.

According to Second Harvest Heartland’s Missing Meals Report, in Minnesota an estimated 125 million meals are missed each year by those who cannot afford them. This equates to every low-income family missing supper every night for two weeks out of each month.

According to Poverty Awareness for Community Engagement, the most food-insecure home is one headed by a single mother. Next come households whose gross income is below the poverty level, followed by African American households, homes with at least one disabled member and then inner-city households.

As we go about our lives day to day, are we aware of those around us who are going hungry? Do we listen to the news about the use of food pantries rising while the food donations and support decline at the same pace? Do we consider how many children in our schools are only eating meals provided during school hours?

As a Christian community, what are we doing to answer God’s call to feed the hungry? Proverbs 22:9 says, “He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.”

As individuals, are we doing all we can to help others?

On June 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church at 2022 E. Second St. in Superior, Wis., there will be a Hunger Close to Home Summit open for anyone interested in assisting the hungry. This summit will address the issue of hunger in our area from four perspectives — family economic security, access to affordable and healthy food, federal nutrition programs and emergency food assistance.

You can read more about the four perspectives at www.EndHungerWI.org. Possible discussion topics include: access to farmer’s markets, community and home gardens, charitable food pantries, explaining federal food programs, and “slow foods concepts.” There will also be dialogue about nutrition programs, commodities and senior meals, school gardens and use of locally grown foods.

At this event, you will be able to learn about what others in the community are doing to help those less fortunate and you may hear ideas about how to help start a food program at your church. Or you can find out ways to help others on a one-on-one basis, such as starting a community garden or selling excess produce at a local farmers’ market. You might learn how to teach others about choosing and using healthy foods and showing them how to can, dry and preserve foods for later use.

As Christians, we should be spearheading efforts to feed those who go hungry and teaching them the life skills they need not only to survive, but also to thrive. And in the process, we just might have opportunities to share about the Bread of Life and the Living Water so they can hunger and thirst no more.

— John 6:35

To get a registration brochure for this event, go to www.dgfs.us/09hungerbrochure.pdf