FFA hunger advocates break the silence of empty stomachs

You know the uncomfortable grumble your stomach makes when you’re hungry? Most of the time, you can easily remedy it with a short walk to the kitchen, vending machine, restaurant or grocery store. Yet for every one in six Americans, getting rid of their hunger isn’t so easy. To help, FFA has partnered with the national organization Kids Against Hunger to feed people around the world.

Ten thousand FFA members from across the country will package one million meals for the Rally to Fight Hunger during the 85th National FFA Convention & Expo. Indianapolis-based Gleaners Food Bank will distribute half of the meals to residents around the city. “Hunger is silent, but it hurts,” says Cindy Hubert, Gleaners President and CEO. “A lot of working people are standing in the pantry lines, people who have never been hungry before.”

The FFA Rally to Fight Hunger will end after the convention and expo, but Hubert encourages FFA members to not be silent about hunger in their own communities. Advocating about hunger is one simple way to break the silence. During the convention and expo workshop Personalizing YOUR Agvocacy, FFA members learned how their own talents and passions can translate into advocacy. Erin Ehnle, founder of Keeping It Real: Through the Lens of a Farm Girl, shared how her passion for photography provided a platform to advocate for agriculture. “Take your passion and find out what your talents are. In my case it was photography. I took my talent and combined it with my passion for agriculture,” says Ehnle. “It’s not the same for everyone. Do you like to write? Are you a people person? Are you creative? Do you have time or resources to donate?”  FFA members can use their talents to be hunger advocates so no empty stomach goes unheard.

To learn more about how you can break the silence of hunger and be an advocate in your community, visit kidsagainsthunger.org and feedingamerica.org. To learn more about Gleaners, contact Cindy Hubert, 317-927-3190 or chubert@gleaners.org. To see Erin Ehnle’s photos visit erinehnle.com/blog.

Lauren Schwab is a former FFA member from Somerville, Ohio.She is a 2011 graduate of Miami University with a degree in journalism and women’s studies. She is currently a graduate student in family studies and works full-time on her family farm. Contact her at schwablm@muohio.edu.

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