Quick: Think about everything you’ve done today. Everything you plan to do tomorrow. Everything you’d like to achieve — from your education to your career to serving your community.
Now: Is there anything on that list you’d be able to accomplish if you went hungry?
Having enough food to eat is the fuel that makes everything else possible. Children can focus in school, and become tomorrow’s astronauts, artists, teachers, and engineers. Returning veterans can start new lives at home. People can go to work, start new businesses, take care of their families, and live with dignity.
Now that budget cuts for federal nutrition programs like Meals on Wheels are looming, it’s more important than ever to talk about why it matters to get enough to eat.
So, we’re starting by asking you to share food’s impact on your life: What does food fuel for you?
At musical artist Questlove’s latest food salon, he convened artists, advocates, and chefs to consider that question. Here’s what they had to say:
Hey @carlahall, thanks for sharing why you know #FoodIsFuel. Join Chef Carla & sign up here: https://t.co/FYIoZOOJTh pic.twitter.com/jzYgkIgtwd
— A Place at the Table (@PlaceAtTheTable) March 23, 2017
Proud to support my friends @TomColicchio and @lsilverbush‘s hunger project. #FoodIsFuel pic.twitter.com/yfqhOnBzVc
— Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) March 22, 2017
Join @josepharthur and share your own reason for being part of this fight to end hunger! https://t.co/FYIoZOOJTh #FoodIsFuel pic.twitter.com/W7BauprZwK
— A Place at the Table (@PlaceAtTheTable) March 24, 2017
Food fuels the resistance
“Without the food to fuel your brainpower, you’re not going to be able to resist,” says Jarobi White, a musician and chef. Questlove talks about how the food you eat affects “your work day, your life, your school, your grades.”
“Without the food to fuel your brainpower, you’re not going to be able to resist” –@JarobiWhite https://t.co/Tz1IcI8NO6 #questlovesfoodsalon pic.twitter.com/1Qsmfkruw8
— A Place at the Table (@PlaceAtTheTable) March 31, 2017
“A human-created problem”
Food advocates Lori Silverbush and Tom Colicchio and humanitarian Zainab Salbi explain that the reason people go hungry in America isn’t limited resources — it’s lack of political will to solve the problem:
“We don’t have the political will to feed everybody. We have the resources to feed everybody.” @PlaceAtTheTable #QuestLovesFoodSalon pic.twitter.com/kZsm6aakKQ
— Quest Loves Food (@questlovesfood) March 28, 2017
We can solve this
If we already have the resources we need, that means we can end hunger in America:
America has “enough food to feed most of the world.” We can end hunger in America. https://t.co/Tz1IcI8NO6 @lsilverbush #FoodIsFuel pic.twitter.com/KISZcc7uNq
— A Place at the Table (@PlaceAtTheTable) April 5, 2017
Add your voice
Spreading awareness about America’s silent hunger epidemic is the first step to addressing the issue. Help us spread the word by adding your own answer and filling in the blank: “Food fuels my _________.” Write your answer on a white paper plate, take a picture of yourself with it, and tag it with #FoodIsFuel.