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Food Bloggers Against Hunger - The Results!
04.17.2013 Tweet
Food Bloggers Against Hunger Results from Nicole Gulotta on Vimeo.
The results are in!
On April 8th, food bloggers joined forces to help make a difference in the food system and support Share Our Strength and the new documentary A Place at the Table. Today, the ripple effect of this event is still making its way across the nation. (If you missed it, check out the event on Storify!) There are a series of impressive numbers, like almost 17,000 pins on Pinterest, and 2,400 letters submitted to Congress, but the real strength lies in the proof that our collective voice is more powerful than anything we could accomplish alone.
Tom Colicchio shared Anne Coleman's post when he met with 40 members of Congress on April 9th. Representative Jim McGovern tweeted about the work we were doing. The New York Times, Huffington Post, and Civil Eats took notice. And when policies begin to change (and they will), over the coming months, and this issue continues to remain in the spotlight, you will know that you had something to do with it. A big something.
Representatives like John Matheson (UT) have responded to your letters: "While I firmly believe that we all need to make tough decisions and share in the sacrifice to reduce our federal deficit, I do not support balancing the budget on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens."
Many of you have expressed your gratitude for my organizing this event, for giving you a platform to discuss these issues. But I have to extend the same gratitude back to you, because none of this would have been possible without you. Had I posted about this on my own blog, it would have made almost no difference. But the power of 250 bloggers behind this cause made for an incredible day.
Here are some highlights from your blog posts:
"Today, food bloggers across the country are writing about food insecurity. This is not to be confused with foodie insecurity, the worry that your salted caramel bacon doughnut on a stick isn’t photogenic enough for your Pinterest followers." -Plant & Plate
"Far too many people understand what true hunger is, to not have enough to eat, to feel the twisting agony of real hunger as they lay in the dark night; to open cupboards, the refrigerator and see nothing for sustenance or thirst." -Kate in the Kitchen
"I am angry that we are a nation of great wealth, and people are going hungry. I am angry that those people are not given the appropriate tools to eat a nutritious diet. I am angry that obesity and hunger are relatives. But, I am also inspired. I am inspired by people who give a damn!" -Corbin in the Dell
"I feel sickened to my core when I think what it must be like for moms who have to watch their children suffer the pangs of hunger, who have to tell their kids that she’s sorry but there’s just not anything for breakfast today." -Em-i-lis
"The real tragedy of food allergies and food insecurity is that families may take risks with their children's well being." -The Allergic Kid
Congratulations to everyone who participated and supported this event! Special thanks to Feastie and Share Our Strength for providing analytics.
7 Comments by Nicole Gulotta | Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | in Food Policy, Food System, Hunger, News
Reader Comments (7)
Nicole,
Thank you so much for organizing this--the numbers are staggering to me, and I am proud of all of your efforts.
Thank you, Kirsten!
I was so completely blown away, humbled and honored to be a part of this; my post was RT'd countless times, as were others that picked up on my story. I can't even begin to comprehend the ripple effect of it as tweet after tweet went out. I wracked up huge numbers that day. It was so overwhelming, and every time I opened my phone I started to cry. I'm so very thankful to have mustered up the courage to share that story, and so thankful to have the outlet, and to help make a difference. This is one aspect of blogging that I love being a part of, as the community is amazing. Thank you, Nicole. And thank you to every blogger out there who raised a voice and tapped the keys.
Hooray!!! Such exciting news, thank you again for putting this together. You are AMAZING!
Thank you so much, Nicole, for organizing this and for letting us know what we did all together. I hope we can continue to make our voices heard. In fact, we must.
WOW! This must have been a ton of work for you, seeing the fruits of your labor must be so deeply gratifying! Congratulations! xoxo
I've only just learned about this initiative and am too late to join in on April 8. Thank you for the reminder to post again about the sad fact that there are ever increasing numbers of people all over the world suffering from real hunger.