Hunger Walks. Why Do We Do Them?

The Access/Grace Hunger Walk

*also posted on www.tenderfoodie.com

I confess that I have struggled with writing this post.  Partly because I often hear disparaging remarks about the city’s needy from a small but opinionated group.  Comments surface, like, “Why can’t they get a job, or a 2nd job”, “I’ve struggled, too, especially in this economy,” and “Don’t they have family to help them?”  I can understand, to a point. Its tough out there for many of us.

I’ve also struggled with this post because as a writer. I want to say something that no one has said before.  But the truth is, there is nothing new about hunger.

•    It exists.  
•    It can happen to anyone.  
•    It takes a community of people to help solve the problem.

The more complicated questions are: why is there a hunger problem in the first place and how we do we kick hunger in its persistent little butt?

We Walk.

A Tough Blow in Life Is All It Takes

When I spoke to Jennifer Gray, the Hunger Walk Coordinator for Access of West Michigan, she helped clarify a few things about the “why”.  Jennifer told me that most of the people who visit the West Michigan Food Pantries have jobs. Sometimes two.  

I don’t want to get overly sentimental, because this post is not meant to guilt you into giving.  But the fact is, who can predict that you will lose your business because of a heart attack?  Or that medical bills because of cancer pile so high that you have to choose between treatment and food?  How do you survive if your sole breadwinner passes away and you cannot work yourself?  How do you keep your job if you lose your car so you can eat?  What happens when you lose your entire 401K when you are retired and elderly?  How do stay hopeful, keep your emotions in check and your kids healthy if you can’t feed them?  How do your kids learn in school when they can’t get enough to eat at home?

Food affects every area of our lives.  

Without healthy food, illness, loneliness and shame take a much stronger foothold within the entire community.  Look around at other communities that make us shake our heads.  If all of our citizens aren’t healthy and productive, then our community as a whole is not healthy either.

“Hunger does not discriminate.”
_Jennifer Wilson, Volunteer & Chairperson of the FightHungerGR task force now partnering with the Access of West Michigan Hunger Walk

About the Hunger Walk on May 7, 2011

In the spirit of a vibrant and caring community, Access of West Michigan works with a network of food pantries across Grand Rapids.  On Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 8 a.m. thousands of access volunteers and friends are coming together to walk and raise money together, so they can delve more deeply into the causes of hunger and eradicate them through a remarkable strategy of services.

You can sign up now, on Saturday morning or just donate a few bucks from your computer.  Click here to find out more.

“I really do believe that we are a community that cares about our citizens and that together we can end hunger in Grand Rapids.”  _Jennifer Gray, Hunger Walk Coordinator, Access of West Michigan

If I Had a Million Dollars

Here are a few quick facts about where your donations will be going:


•    Relationships with large, national food suppliers to keep their excess of products coming to West Michigan.

•    Broaden local resources like restaurants, groceries, farms and factories to become a truly sustainable, local food system and cut down on expensive transportation costs.

•    Collect local gardeners’ excess produce during the summer.

•    A Fresh Food Truck to deliver foods with a short shelf life -- like produce, meat and eggs to areas that do not have groceries within walking distance or along bus routes that offer such things.  There is a huge need for fresh foods.

•    Keep Pantries stocked all year round with longer shelf-life foods

•    Nutritional Options for Wellness (NOW) program that works with people who are faced with life-or-death diets for Diabetes, M.S., Cancer and other diseases.

•    Awareness Campaigns to help both the folks who are hungry and the people who want to help them.

•    Senior Meals.  Seniors, the disabled and children are the most vulnerable.

•    75% of donations will go to the local community

•    25% of the donations will support in-need international communities, such as Japan after the recent earthquake.


What I love about this Access of West Michigan is that when they say “community” they really mean it.  It is a faith-based organization that is made up of many different faith traditions.  And they work together for our local and international families.  

Many of us are lucky to have a family network to fall back on in hard times.  For the people who visit the food pantries, Access and their services have become that family.  The food pantries are all they have.

The financial goal of the Hunger Walk this year is $200,000.  I think I understand this piece of data correctly -- if we could raise $1,000,000, we could eradicate hunger in West Michigan.  It only costs us about $2.37 per meal.

If you can, will you join me in supporting them?