So I've been planning for weeks to participate in this wonderful Feeding America blogathon, when a weird thing happened: The Occupy Movement started, and I found myself in full facilitator mode, helping plan civil disobedience mass actions while helping organize and cook for what has turned into a 24-7 food distribution system for the homeless and hungry on Cleveland, Ohio's Public Square. You see, we've gotten so many food donations that we decided to share it with some of Cleveland's nearly 3,000 homeless people, which, I believe, is one of a few things that we here in Cleveland are doing differently.
Then, I get home later than planned, to find an amazing letter about "World Food Day" (today) and how the Occupy movement is helping to spread awareness about food inequality, food deserts, and corporate greed on a massive scale on the part of Archer-Daniels-Midland, Cargill, Monsanto and Con Agra.
So here's what I want all y'all nightbirds to do:
Reach into your wallet and follow this link below to donate to Feeding America, because they desperately need your help.
Second, keep your wallet out and join the Founders Club of Community Greenhouse Partners, the non-profit sustainable urban farm that I work for that's trying to build a greenhouse in Cleveland's urban core.
Third, read the letter under the fold, follow the links, and find an Occupy group and go help them serve food to the occupiers and the poor in your city. They desperately need your help too.
Feeding America locates food surplus and intercepts it on its way to the trash and distributes it to food banks all over the country. They do not buy most of their food, which is why they can provide meals so efficiently. They collect from vendors, grocery stores, and restaurants all over the country. Plenty of food is out there -- the problem is one of logistics, transportation, and distribution.
Because Feeding America redistributes surplus, they can provide healthy meals cheaply. Ninety five cents on every dollar that you donate here goes to food distribution. Donating to Feeding America is one of the most efficient ways that you can help aid hungry people.
Even $1 will help. Click on the icon above.
If you have the means, please donate to Feeding America by clicking on the box to the right. In addition to supplying food banks all over the country, they help hungry kids through their Backpack Program, Kids Cafe, Summer Food, and School Pantry programs. And this month, Ameriprise Financial will match your donation -- which means that every dollar you donate provides 16 meals to hungry people.
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