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Hungry People Everywhere…

Friday, Miranda and I were lucky to have over an hour with Janice Reece, the Marketing and Projects Director at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Janice was kind enough to take us through their operations and share ACFB experiences and lessons learned from 30 years of helping feed the hungry right here in Atlanta. While there are many differences in terms of the causes and solutions, unfortunately, too many of the issues surrounding hunger are the same all across the world.

Interestingly, in some ways, the issues in South Africa are more similar to America than even some other African countries. For example, some people seem surprised at the level of hunger and poverty in South Africa, having heard of so much of the success of the economy there, seen photos of Cape Town, know of their great wines, beautiful beaches, etc. And South Africa has attained “middle class status” for a 3rd world country, with average household income of over $4,000/year. Yet South Africa has the highest income inequality in the world, and something near 60% of South Africans live on less than $2/day. The same is true for America; the world’s wealthiest nation has some of the highest levels of hunger and poverty, and among the highest levels of income inequality in the developed world. And, like Isipho does in Nzinga, ACFB, through their Community Gardens project, helps many people grow their own food as part of a long-term solution.

We are lucky that people like Janice, who work so hard to make a difference in their own back yard, have such empathy for hungry people anywhere that she would take some of her time to give us insights and advice. Please, if you are more inclined to helping those in need locally rather than the other side of the world, consider giving to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

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