Campuses Talk Hunger

Today marks the start of “Mobilizing to Feed a Hungry World,” the annual University Hunger Summit in Auburn, Alabama. Over the weekend, students, faculty, and administrators from universities around the country will hear from experts about efforts to solve world hunger.

Auburn University launched the summit five years ago as a way to mobilize campuses in the fight against hunger. Tony Hall, executive director of The Alliance to End Hunger, founded by Bread in 2004, will be a featured speaker. Gregory Sims, Bread’s southeast regional organizer, and Elaine Van Cleave, Bread’s presiding volunteer district organizer for Birmingham, AL, also will talk to the group about influencing public policy, as well as Bread’s 2010 domestic agenda.

The summit is part of a larger movement called Universities Fighting World Hunger, which began in 2004 as a partnership between the United Nations World Food Program and Auburn University. Now more than 100 universities and colleges are involved, and the hope is to reach even more campuses with the message that, while the issues seem overwhelming, we can make a difference by working together.