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A public forum to address hunger issues in northern Iowa is being held in early December in Goodell, Iowa.
Hunger in Our Homes: Connecting Our Community to Food Access Solutions, will be held December 1, to create an opportunity for an open community conversation about the issue of food insecurity right here in our communities.
Hunger is a community challenge. Food access is a shared responsibility. And the solutions start with us. We want everyone in attendance to know they are part of the solution, not just an audience member listening to problems. Then we can ask, What can WE do, and where do we begin?
A panel of local food access leaders will provide on-the-ground perspectives from various initiatives, experiences, and approaches to addressing hunger at home.
The forum is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, from 6:30-8:30 p.m., at the Goodell Community Hall, 315 Broadway Street in Goodell. The forum is free & open to the public. There will be refreshments. Pre registration is encouraged, but not required. All who register will receive a link to a recording of the session. https://go.iastate.edu/EOS6QM – link to sign up or use the QR code provided here.
"Hunger in Our Homes," explained Gary Berkland, longtime community leader and member of the forum planning team, "will provide an honest look at the challenges of food access, the strategies in place in North Iowa, and begin to explore what else we can do and where we begin."
John Boller, Executive Director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry and Chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, will start off by answering a common question of “what is food insecurity?”, exploring how trends reveal the real strain on individual members and our community overall, and share insights from his experiences in Coralville and through the Coalition.
Panelists confirmed to date include Pastor Katie Pals, Trinity Lutheran Church, Belmond; Kim Belstene, Food Service Director Belmond-Klemme Community School District and President, School Nutrition Association of Iowa (SNAI); Mary Beyerhelm-Huey, Mason City, President North Iowa Impact and Iowa Hunger Coalition Board member. Additional panelists will be added.
"Affordable access to healthy food is one of the top community needs identified through Community Health Needs Assessments in North Iowa." reflected Kelly Langfitt, of Iowa
Specialty Hospital and part of the forum planning team, "Communities work hard to meet the need, but situations have continued to complicate our neighbors' ability to fully cover family budgets and food is an area that may come up short. We want to bring the community together to learn about and support the work on the ground and highlight emerging innovations that may add more capacity to a strained system."
Those who are attending the forum are asked to bring a shelf stable item such as canned soup or beans, dry beans (black, kidney, pinto), or rice (brown, white). No glass containers, please.
Hunger in Our Homes is part of the Rural Revival: Local Voices, Common Goals public forum series. All Rural Revival forums are to be a safe place for community conversation. Organizers ask all participants to come mindful that our communities include diverse perspectives.
This forum is organized by the North Iowa Food & Community Care Network with support from these partners and sponsors: Iowa Specialty Hospital, Hancock County Health System, Hancock County Extension & Outreach, Rosehill Farm. For more information, contact Jan Libbey, libbey.jan@gmail.com or 515/851-1690.