3 Reasons Hunger is a Choice

Here’s the thing. We have enough food, we know how to share it, and, with some hard work, we can get ahead of hunger.

1. We have plenty of food, we just need to get better at saving and sharing it. We waste nearly 40% of our food in America. That means we send mountains of good food—and our chance to curb hunger—to the landfill. So, food banks and food shelves jump in to pick up groceries and meals from retailers. A few winters back, I rode along to pick up 150 piping-hot breakfast sandwiches in a blizzard (all that snow meant lots of cancelled catering orders). You can play a role too. Ask around at your grocery store and favorite restaurant to see if the businesses you support are donating their excess to food rescue!
2. We know how to get groceries to everyone; it’s just going to take all of us. The truth is, we end hunger together or not at all. In the early days of Covid, the whole community came to the table to tackle rising hunger. Businesses donated truckloads of baby formula, produce and turkey burgers. Policymakers turned on additional SNAP benefits and volunteers got to work. But we turned away too quickly, and we are now living through the hungriest year in memory. It’s time to come back to the table. Lawmakers, business leaders and every Minnesotan within earshot, this is your call to join and lead me.?
3. Fighting today’s hunger is urgent, addressing tomorrow’s hunger before it hits is a game changer. Emergency meals are needed, but they’re only part of the answer. That’s why we’ve joined a coalition of community members and leaders, food shelves and other nonprofits to form Noursh Minnesota. Community members will guide the way, determining what help looks like in their neighborhoods. Then, we’ll all work with policymakers to prevent hunger, making sure childcare and housing are affordable. And people have reliable transportation to work and school. When families aren’t deciding between food and rent, or food and that needed car repair, we all win.?

We’ve set a big, bold goal to cut hunger in half for all Minnesotans by 2030. It belongs to all of us. If we’re not all fed, we won’t get much else right. Follow along. Make it a shared goal. Let’s make some history!

?