Participation in "Pitch In" - A Conversation about Hunger and Food Access - Thursday, July 25th

We have been invited to table and participate in a panel discussion on hunger and food access this Thursday 25th.  The event is sponsored by an IUPUI's School of Public and Environmental Affairs class and will be held at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.


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Pitch-In!

A Conversation about Hunger and Food Access

What would it take to end hunger in Central Indiana?  How can local success help the global efforts to improve food access?  Join SPEA Scholars and local, national and international food and hunger experts for a thought-provoking and potentially world-changing “Intellectual Pitch-In” to discuss the intersection of global and local food issues.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

6:30-8:30 PM

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

1029 Fletcher Ave. Suite 100,

Indianapolis, IN 46203

Panelists include:

Emily Weikert-Bryant - Feeding Indiana's Hungry

Dow AgroScience

Laura Henderson - Growing Places Indy

Gina Sheets - Hope in the Harvest and Indiana Department of Agriculture

Myel Reed - Indiana Department of Agriculture

Kim Kiser - Oxfam Action Corps

Betsy Whitmore -Second Helpings

Slow Food Indy

This family friendly event is free to the public with the donations of dried pasta or rice for Second Helpings.

 https://www.facebook.com/events/656284154385731/

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/7275935519

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Here we will have the opportunity to introduce our guests to Oxfam's mission (fighting poverty, hunger, and injustice), the GROW Method, and the Behind the Brands campaign.  Thanks to Adam Olson and our friends at Oxfam in Boston we have an interactive Behind the Brands game board to engage visitors in exploration of how the food companies they love impact international poverty and hunger.

Not only is this an opportunity to teach people how we fight poverty, hunger, and injustice - it's great opportunity to learn more about what other local organizations are doing about hunger and food access so we can do even more.

Contact Indianapolis Oxfam Action Corps  to help with this event.

Happy Anniversary to the GROW Campaign - Cooking Together with GROW Recipes

Hi Indianapolis Action Corps Members (and Future Members, yes - that's you!)


Let's get together with family and friends (including each other) and cook some GROW recipes.  They are available on Oxfam's GROW cookbook pages and on Pinterest.  What better way is there to teach people how to apply the GROW method?

Besides, for all those people who keep saying, "I don't have the time or money to cook this way," we have a win-win solution.  Cook with friends and share with neighbors.  It's a great way to get healthy,  build and strengthen friendships and community, save money, and eat in a way that leaves more food available for our neighbors around the world.  Try it, you'll like it.  :)  Then share the news about GROW with this cool slideshow. 


Happy Anniversary GROW!  

(Click above to see what we've accomplished in this last two years and where we're headed.)

New - Fun GROW Campaign Videos

There will soon be 9 billion of us on the planet.  That's a lot of people to feed.  How will we get there?  View the fun new GROW campaign videos to find out, then share them with friends!

Incremental Progress - I guess US Food Aid Reform is more like the turtle than the hare

The most recent opportunity to move US Food Aid reform for was the House vote on the Royce-Engle Amendment in Farm Bill in June.  Yes, the Royce-Engle Amendment failed to pass, but only by a very narrow margin (203 yea to 220 no) and even this reflects huge progress.   To find out why click the link and scroll down to Gawain Kripke's June 19th article, "House of Representatives Rejects Food Aid Reform in the Farm Bill."

The great news is that our Indianapolis Action Corps was part of that progress.  Thanks to everyone who called their representative, helped with phone banking, or visited Congressman Carson or Congresswoman Brooks they both voted "Yes". 

Special thanks are due to Tracie Johannsen who helped with lobby visits and Matt Smith who came up from the Ball State Oxfam CHANGE chapter and updated us on the political process before this vote.  You two are amazing!

In summary, there will be future opportunities to get US Food Aid Reform passed.  It isn't happening quickly, but just like the turtle if we keep working toward it, it will happen.