Childhood Hunger
Latest News
- June 20
Strong effort to feed the hungry earns high praise June 20, 2008
Seacoastonline.comPORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire — The numbers don’t lie: 800 and $100,000. The 800 people who attended the 14th annual Taste of the Nation event at Strawberry Banke Museum on Wednesday helped raise a record-breaking $100,000 to fight childhood hunger, a persistent social blight growing at rates not seen in decades.
Those numbers reflected a vibrant community commitment. The money raised goes to Share Our Strength, the national program with the goal of eradicating the plight of children who endure too many days without sufficient and proper nutrition. Fund-raisers such as Taste of the Nation bridge the gaps between existing effective food programs and the families who need them.
Taste of the Nation has been called a prom for adults, but it’s a responsible prom with a theme of sustainability — where 100 percent of the trash was recycled or composted and attendees were encouraged to walk, bike or carpool to the event.
“Taste brings together people from all parts of the community to put on an event that doesn’t just celebrate culinary talent,” said Megan Shapiro-Ross with Share Our Strength. “It celebrates the community’s spirit.”
It’s a spirit more necessary than ever in a time of a shrinking economy and declining public sector services. In this environment, charity has emerged as a necessary ingredient. The organizers said every dollar raised will go to fight hunger and some 80 percent of it will stay local. According to Share Our Strength, one in six households in the country — or some 35 million Americans and more than 12 million children — deal with what is politely called “food insecurity.”
And you may not have to look far to find people who are short of food. The New Hampshire Food Bank, which distributes food to hundreds of organizations throughout the state, estimates that some 95,000 Granite State residents need its services daily.
Craig Fogg of the Seacoast Family Food Pantry, whose organization was one of those targeted by the fund-raising effort, said the 800 people who showed up almost matched the number of those in Portsmouth alone who struggle to put food on the table.
“The support we get here is just fantastic,” Fogg told the Herald. “We’re really seeing a steady increase in the need, so we appreciate this.”
We applaud not only the people who attended, donated, and took part in efforts such as the $34,000 raised in a silent auction. But the involvement of local chefs and restaurant owners — who provided a wide range of food and drink — showed a charitable commitment above and beyond the call of duty.
“We support the cause, and we will continue to do it until the problem (of child hunger) is solved,” said Joanne Paul of The Library Restaurant, which has donated its services for eight straight years.
We salute all those who took part as a donating vendor, those who attended and made a range of donations and those who volunteered. You not only served a worthy cause but showed that community spirit can be fostered in many ways — including in fine evening wear while eating short ribs and sipping a fine beverage.
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