Category Archives: Advocacy

Hunger, Housing and Health – Takeaways from Hunger Fighting in D.C.

From Shay Merritt, Loaves & Fishes Advocacy Coordinator I just returned from attending the Anti-Hunger Conference in Washington DC with our Executive Director, Tina Postel. The conference is a joint production of the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and Feeding America. I came back inspired and energized by the wonderful work being done around […]

There Are So Many Stories Waiting To Be Told And We Need To Listen

I have always wanted to serve. I come by it honestly. One of my earliest memories is going door to door with my mother for the United Appeal—now the United Way—when I was just three years old. I would sing a song, do a little dance and my mother would ask for the money. We […]

Fighting Hunger in Mecklenburg Co. where 1 in 5 Children Live in Poverty

Consider this: 130,000 people in Mecklenburg Co. live in poverty. 1 in 5 children in Mecklenburg Co. live in poverty. Last year, Loaves & Fishes provided a week’s worth of groceries to 76,517 people, enough to fill Bank of America stadium. 46% of those were children. “Investing in our future begins with our kids. For […]

We’re All In This Together

This month, Tina Postel and I attended the Anti-Hunger Policy Conference in Washington, DC. Together with 1,300 hunger fighters from all 50 states, we shared information, best practices and concerns, especially over future funding of child hunger programs. With a delegation from N.C., Tina and I spent a morning on Capitol Hill advocating on behalf […]

“When the song of the angel is stilled…..The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry,…”

I’ve seen this quote from Howard Thurmond a lot lately. After our yearly orgy of excess in December, too much activity, food, shopping, you fill in the blank, January is relevantly empty. Putting away Christmas decorations gives us a moment to appreciate simpler surroundings. The suddenly vacant spots on the calendar give us time to […]

We Walk Because They Walk!

For the past 22 years I have spent one Sunday afternoon in October, while trudging some unfamiliar streets in uptown Charlotte, considering what it would be like not to have running water. A flashback to the days following Hurricane Hugo? No, something much more positive – The Greater Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk. I have walked […]