The World Food Prize Presents
Iowans United in Fighting Hunger at Home and Abroad
October 14, 2008 • Des Moines WWW.IOWAHUNGERSUMMIT.ORG
A Historic Photo: At the Hunger Luncheon held as part of the 2007 Iowa Hunger Summit, Governor Chet Culver presented Dr. Norman E. Borlaug with a copy of the official proclamation declaring October 16 as Norman E. Borlaug/World Food Prize Day in Iowa. Joining in the presentation were former Governors Robert Ray, Tom Vilsack, and Terry Branstad.
Take Part in A New Iowa Tradition ollowing in the tradition of Iowa humanitarian legends such as Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, the inaugural Iowa Hunger Summit on October 16, 2007 united Iowans around events focusing on the state’s significant contribution to the fight against hunger.
signed the official proclamation recognizing October 16 as Dr. Norman E. Borlaug/World Food Prize Day in Iowa. It is one of only two official days of annual recognition in Iowa’s history. October 16 is also celebrated globally as United Nations World Food Day.
Designed as a day to enhance public attention to both the causes of and solutions to hunger and to encourage increased action and partnership among Iowans, the event was highlighted by a “Hunger Luncheon” featuring simple meals and a keynote address by David Beckmann, president of the anti-hunger advocacy center Bread for the World and of the national Alliance to End Hunger.
Iowa’s three former governors – Robert Ray, Terry Branstad, and Tom Vilsack – served as honorary co-chairs and each gave his unique perspective on Iowa’s leading role in feeding the world.
It was also announced that from October 2006 to October 2007, Iowans contributed over $6.24 million, 15.3 million pounds of food and 65,000 volunteer hours to combat hunger at home and abroad. More than 400 Iowans were on hand as Governor Chet Culver
The Hunger Summit also included: a session highlighting the work of the UN World Food Program; a delegation of UN Ambassadors from Guatemala, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia; Iowa OneVote08’s bipartisan panel of high-level representatives from presidential campaigns highlighting actions that can be taken to fight hunger and poverty; and an address by former Congressman Jim Leach on how international cooperation can counteract global challenges like hunger.
Get Involved Forty-seven of Iowa’s 99 counties were represented at the 2007 Hunger Summit. Our goal in 2008 is to have every Iowa county represented.
Share Your Story In advance of the Second Annual Iowa Hunger Summit, we are seeking to gather information from Iowans who are working to alleviate hunger and improve nutrition. Please visit www.iowahungersummit.org to share with us the amount of money raised, food gathered or distributed, and/or time volunteered to advocacy projects that you or your group (civic organization, place of worship, business, club, etc.) are contributing between October 16, 2007, and October 16, 2008.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey helped kick off the Iowa Soybean Association’s Acres of Giving program
Attend the Event Join us on October 14, 2008, at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown for the Second Annual Iowa Hunger Summit. There will be a full day of events centered around a Hunger Luncheon that will focus on Iowa’s contributions to fighting hunger within our borders and beyond.
Spread the Word Do you know other individuals or Iowa organizations who are engaged in food drives, fundraisers, awareness campaigns or other efforts to highlight and/or fight hunger? Let them know about the Iowa Hunger Summit, so that they too can participate in this new and unique Iowa tradition.
Keynote speaker David Beckmann, president of the Alliance to End Hunger and Bread for the World
Iowans Making a Difference At Home and Abroad World Food Prize officials tabulated information on the wide variety of anti-hunger projects led or participated in by Iowans. In the year from October 16, 2006 - October 16, 2007:
Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu and former Congressman Jim Leach
• Iowans donated at least $6,242,100 to organizations and agencies involved in fighting hunger. • More than 15,297,000 pounds of food were gathered or distributed, both around the state and internationally. • Over 65,000 hours volunteered to Iowa anti-hunger advocacy projects or programs that provide food to those who need it.
Help us increase these numbers in 2008!
A panel of UN Ambassadors from Zambia, Guatemala, Sierra Leone and Tanzania
The 2008 Hunger Luncheon: Focusing on Kids
Not Your Typical Luncheon In keeping with the day’s theme and to highlight Iowa’s diverse anti-hunger efforts, the 2007 Iowa Hunger Summit featured a Hunger Luncheon serving the following meals: • Fortified Rice-Soy Casserole from Kids Against Hunger, (packaged at various Iowa locations) that is sent to impoverished children in Tanzania and Haiti. • Protein-enriched corn porridge from Self-Help International, based in Waverly, used to feed children in Ghana and Nicaragua. • A typical meal served by the Waterloo-based Kids Cafe’s after-school and summer feeding program. • A simple meal based on the Congressional Food Stamp Challenge, which reflected the reality of those who live on food assistance and receive an average of $1 per meal per person.
Facts About Hunger • 854 million people in the world are malnourished – more than the combined population of the United States, Canada, and the European Union. 153 million of these are children under the age of five. • Hunger and poverty claim 25,000 lives every day; 16,000 of these are children. • The number of chronically hungry people worldwide is growing by an average of four million per year at current trends. • Approximately half (49.2 percent) of all American children will have received food stamps or food assistance by the time they reach 20. • 421,350 Iowans experience “low food security” – the occasional or recurrent lack of adequate safe, nutritious food. • 40.6% of all Iowa households with children are food insecure.
Get Involved
Coming a month after the Kids Against Hunger food drive, the 2008 Iowa Hunger Summit will gather community leaders and concerned Iowans to focus on hunger among children around the world, including kids right here in Iowa. The day of events will be highlighted by a Hunger Luncheon incorporating the UN World Food Program’s international “Fill the Cup” campaign. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about child hunger, using as a theme the red cups that WFP fills with porridge or other food rations for the up to 59 million children in developing countries who go to school hungry every day. Help us “Fill the Cup” in 2008 Within Iowa, food insecurity and poor nutrition affect a growing proportion of children. Approximately 20 percent of all children in Iowa receive supplemental food and food benefits from the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and one-third of all school-aged children qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch at school. In 2006, a report showed that families with infants and children are requesting emergency food assistance at an increasing rate. The 2008 Iowa Hunger Summit is partnering with the World Food Program, ISU Extension, and other global, national and state organizations to encourage increased attention to and action against hunger affecting children. Other groups or individuals interested in becoming involved should contact Frank Swoboda of the World Food Prize at 515-245-3798 or visit www.iowahungersummit.org for more information. I strongly encourage you to take part in this new Iowa tradition.
Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn President, The World Food Prize Foundation
Attend the Event Share Your Story
Spread the Word
WWW.IOWAHUNGERSUMMIT.ORG OCTOBER 14, 2008 • DES MOINES