A Call to Action by “1 of 52″ Hunger Network” to make Rhode Island a food secure state

The “1 of 52” Hunger Network, a 35 year anti-hunger advocate group, issued a call to action to “make Rhode Island a food secure state”.

According to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, one in three Rhode Island households are food insecure, meaning they cannot meet their basic food needs (RI Life Index). The grassroots “1 of 52” Hunger Network, their partner organization RIpulse, and their joint HungerDown campaign agree with Dr. King – there is no deficit in human resources, only in human (political) will. These organizations work to inspire the political will necessary to end hunger by uniting mass action and focusing attention on solutions to create food secure communities.

“We are calling on the State of Rhode Island, its organizations, businesses, arts, and religious communities – and most importantly its people – to renew and redouble our actions to support
existing hunger organization solutions. It is our position that the State of Rhode Island has sufficient resources, and a plan to help create food security.”

To participate, visit RelishRhody.com. Their plan is to rally the community to make their plan happen.
“This call to action to make Rhode Island a food secure state is significantly being issued in September which is Hunger Action Month. Our assertion is that all the solutions exist; we need to inspire greater volunteer and support actions to bring them to fruition.” said Steve Maciel, spokesperson.

Email [email protected] to join in taking action and to add your resources.

About The “1 of 52” Hunger Network, RIpulse and #HungerDown:
For 35 years, The “1 of 52” Hunger Network has been organizing folks to use their talent to take action in one week annually to help end hunger. Our members have directed thousands in donations, tons of food, and incalculable awareness to existing hunger organizations. We are centered within the music and arts community and continually strive to strengthen the longstanding connection between music and the cause of ending hunger.

The results of these actions are two-fold:

1. Hunger organizations receive direct, ongoing support for their solutions
2. To build the political will necessary to end hunger through the example these actions set
   Additionally, the “1 of 52” Hunger Network has partnered with Blackstone Valley Tourism
   Council to implement a campaign to address the root cause of hunger by generating community
   wealth. This campaign is designed to rally our state’s hospitality, retail, attractions and
   entertainment industries to enhance “accommodation packaging” to increase occupancy levels.
   It also promotes local goods and incentivizes guests to patronize Main Street businesses. Each
   overnight guest generates $1,086 in our state’s economy (Tourism Economics).
   RIpulse and the #HungerDown campaign are involved with assisting existing initiatives and
   creating new ones to enhance our state’s ability to increase food security. These include:

• Conducting regular, automatic non-perishable food collections at most arts and
  recreational events
• A centralized system to solicit and collect funds for hunger initiatives online
• Help establish parameters for communities to become and be declared food secure
• Providing free assistance to other hunger relief agencies and programs including efforts
  to keep them better informed about operating and promoting themselves effectively
• Keeping all segments of the community better informed about hunger relief and food
  security efforts
• Enhance and unite food security promotional efforts to help create political will

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Why should there be hunger and deprivation in any land, in any
city, at any table, when man has the resources and the scientific know-how to provide all
mankind with the basic necessities of life? There is no deficit in human resources. The deficit is
in human will.”