Summit Seeks Holistic Approach to Ending Hunger – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The pandemic has exposed an unprecedented need for food in North Texas and the vulnerability of working families.

“We knew a paycheck could get you into a food crisis or economic distress, and that’s exactly what we saw,” said Trisha Cunningham, president and CEO of North Texas Food Bank. The non-profit organization based in Plano serves 13 counties and provided a record 126 million meals in 2020.

Federal government aid programs – such as grocery boxes, expanded services, stimulus checks, doing without what schools can do to feed children – kept food up and hunger improved.

But those on the front lines of the fight against hunger know that the numbers will rise again.

“It has to involve more than just eating hungry people. As with any complex problem, there is a need to consider multiple approaches,” said Wyonella Henderson-Greene, coalition specialist for the Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions.

The Dallas Coalition for Hunger is a community organization that has worked for a decade to keep Dallas County’s food safe by giving residents equal access to healthy food.

Henderson-Greene points to community gardens as a success story.

The coalition pushed for changes to the city rules that now allow parishioners to grow and sell food in their neighborhood to promote economic development and improve access to healthy food.

But it is not enough and the search for solutions continues.

“The conversation continues to be about reducing hunger and improving access to healthy food for everyone. Unfortunately, we haven’t made much progress in this regard, ”said Henderson-Greene.

The coalition’s tenth annual Hunger Summit in Dallas is taking place virtually this year. The theme is Top 10 Hunger Solutions – A Holistic Approach to Creating Just, Thriving Communities. Speakers from different areas of the community will discuss a holistic view of how to resolve hunger and affect community health in all-encompassing ways. Using a justice perspective, they will discuss how to create a safer and more equitable food environment for all. The aim is to examine the innovative, collaborative steps in communities and policies that can ensure access to healthy, nutritious food and optimal health for all.

The coalitions have a list of the Top 10 Hunger Solutions:

  • # 1 Affordable living
  • # 2 Eliminate food deserts and create food safe communities.
  • # 3 Hunger as a Health Strategy
  • # 4 cooperation partnerships to improve community work
  • # 5 Access to transportation
  • # 6 Closing technology gaps
  • # 7 Ongoing education to raise awareness and develop advocates
  • # 8 Expand eligibility for government-supported food aid
  • # 9 Food justice / food sovereignty
  • # 10 Innovative pilot programs with human-centered design

The summit takes place on three Fridays – September 17th, September 24th and October 1st. It is open to the public after registering through Eventbrite. For more information, please contact wyonella_henderson-greene@baylor.edu.

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