Duquesne Light Company’s Post

Food is a universal need that transcends age, background, address, race, gender, and societal status. We all need to eat. Yet, more than 83,700 people in Wyoming—over 14% of the population—are facing food insecurity. We've had the honor of connecting with neighbors across the state and learning firsthand about the challenges of food insecurity. Learn more in our blog linked below.

Part 2 While this is just a snippet and it only has been one month, I’m beaming with pride to be apart of this organization that is filled with like-minded people who genuinely care about combatting hunger and making a difference. Going into this role I thought I had known a lot about food insecurity and the cycle of hunger, however, I have learned more in the last thirty days about this issue than I ever have before. FTB is truly on the ground doing the work - feeding not just the unhoused individual on the street corner asking for money that you see on your way to work, but our neighbors, our classmates, our co-workers, our friends, and our whole community. It truly is not about serving “them,” it’s about serving us. People go hungry every single day and no one should have to experience not knowing where their next meal will come from. Everyone should have the right to choose which foods they’re putting in their bodies. No one should have to make the hard choices of choosing to put food on their families’ plates, to keep their lights on, or to feed their pets. No one should develop diseases that are so preventable because all they can afford is unhealthy, processed foods. Feeding Tampa Bay recognizes that people face these obstacles every single day and has been a leader in finding ways to solve these issues and continues to innovate and evolve based on community need. To quote the good ‘ol Snickers commercial, “you’re not you when you’re hungry.” Overall, it’s been enlightening, informative, humbling, and some of the best thirty days a new guy on the job could ask for. Shoutout to my fearless leader Katherine Scaglione for bringing me on the team, empowering me to bring new ideas to the table, and for allowing me to take ownership over the programs that are apart of my role. This is just the start and I’m so excited to see what’s to come with this organization and team. If you’d like to learn more about Feeding Tampa Bay and get involved by donating either your time, treasure, or voice, I’d be happy to connect you, your family, place of work, school, etc. Shoot me a message to learn ways you can become a #HungerHero or head to our website feedingtampabay.org for all the things. #BecasueFoodMakesTomorrowPossible

Spread the love this Valentine's Day by advocating for the 1 in 10 New Yorkers experiencing food insecurity. Today, City Harvest is joining advocates in Albany for Anti-Hunger Advocacy Day to urge lawmakers to pass a state budget that invests in programs and policies to support food security—including increasing the SNAP minimum benefit to $100 per month, increasing funding for Nourish New York, and fully funding school meals. Together, we can end hunger. Take action: https://p2a.co/qeSiAXq

"History teaches us that solutions to social problems are most likely to come from communities that have been excluded from the social good." In an article for Nonprofit Quarterly, LeeAnn C. Morrissette of National Black Food and Justice Alliance (FFCF grantee partner), writes about how Black activists and organizers are the ones to meet and respond to community needs when the government has—intentionally—failed to do so. She writes about how the current levels of food insecurity and malnutrition amongst Black folks are intergenerational. Redlining—the practice of denying Black folks home owner loans—excluded them from home/land ownership and limited them to industrial, city neighborhoods. Many of these neighborhoods are hot beds for toxic chemicals and pollutants, and often lack grocery stores with fresh and healthy foods. The climate crisis is only exacerbating these challenges. Throughout history, Fannie Lou Hamer's Freedom Farm Cooperative in Mississippi, Charles and Shirley Sherrod's New Communities—the first #CommunityLandTrust—and the Black Panther Party's free breakfast program have stepped up to feed our communities. This tradition of community-led activism is still strong, inspiring the work of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance, its network of food and farm laborers, us, and our movement partners. Read more about this history, the continued fight #BlackFoodSovereignty, and its importance in all of #FoodJustice and #LandJustice work at the link in bio. #BlackAugust #BlackPhilanthropyMonth https://lnkd.in/g-kUZnSs

North Carolina has the 10th highest rate of food insecurity in the nation. According to the North Carolina Justice Center: "Despite the success of anti-hunger programs like SNAP, lawmakers have sought to limit access. Over the past few years, state and federal lawmakers have considered and, in some cases, passed harmful measures that have increased hunger. In 2016, state lawmakers limited access to food assistance for some of the state's poorest adults by reinstating a harsh federal law placing a three-month time limit on SNAP for nondisabled, childless adults. This change, which affected up to 100,000 people, meant that people would be denied food assistance even though they lived in communities where there were no job opportunities available. Last year, state lawmakers considered eliminating a policy that allows low-income families with high expenses to be eligible for SNAP. These families, who have modest incomes but pay significant amounts of their income toward things like child care and rent, are often forced to make tough choices about how to cover all of their living expenses. Eliminating this policy, known as categorical eligibility, would have not only prevented these families from applying for food assistance, but also would have cost the state in additional administrative dollars. Finally, both state and federal lawmakers have sought to impose harsh requirements and unfunded mandates that will punish North Carolinians who are unable to find work and impose strict administrative requirements on state and local agencies." Can we consider what the NYS Assembly Member Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas is proposing? #spotlightonclt #dogoodclt #sharecharlotte #EconomicMobility #CharlotteNonprofit  #LeadingOnOpportunity

Please spread the word.

In Michigan, nearly 12% of people face food insecurity, and many of our community members face barriers to accessing nutritious food. Food insecurity has soared over the past few years, making it more important than ever to create a future where our food system is equitable, sustainable, and equipped to meet southeast Michigan’s needs. At our foundation, we support a number of nonprofit organizations, including Fair Food Network, Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, Forgotten Harvest, Capuchin Soup Kitchen, and Make Food Not Waste, who are working to increase food access, destigmatized food insecurity, and provide education and resources so that people throughout our region can thrive. Read about our community collaboration to strengthen regional food security: https://lnkd.in/gZ-xUHUM

Our very own Camesha Grant, PhD, VP of Community Impact at Food Bank For New York City, appeared on abc7NY to discuss the alarming statistic that 1 in 4 adults in New York are experiencing #foodinsecurity. In some parts of New York City, like the Bronx, it's even higher at 39%. Food Bank For New York City's mission is vital now more than ever as more of our NYC neighbors find themselves struggling to make ends meet. Watch the full clip to learn more about the current state of food insecurity in New York and how you can help empower our neighbors in need: https://lnkd.in/ezNXG5tg