Hunger

Such a broad word. We've all hungered. For food, comfort, dreams, love, success. The privileged among us associate hunger with hope -- we believe we have the power to change our longing to reality. What about all those who don't have hope?

I often wonder what it feels like to be an immigrant. To work bent over harvesting food 50 or 60 hours a week, unable to take any of that produce home to my family. To be unable to speak English and to struggle to find resources. To camp in the woods where authorities aren't likely to see us, because we know our kids will be taken from us if we're found. 

How do you go about finding food? 

The more structured a food resource is, the harder it is to access. You have to qualify, fill out a form, make an appointment, have an EBT (food stamps) card, sign a release, have ID. What if you don't understand the steps? What if you don't have a phone? Or transportation? How do you get to the food resource, and how do you transport enough back to camp for the kids? How do you find food that doesn't need a refrigerator or a stove? 

It's inspiring to meet families like this. They tend to be happy! They don't mind hard work. They don't have to worry about people with guns hunting them down, burning their homes, kidnapping their daughters for sex. Their determination, gratitude, and commitment are strong, far stronger than our resolutions to cut back on TV or give up sweets. We have no idea. But even in their appreciation of freedom, they agonize over seeing their kids hungry. 

I wish we had meal programs at the farms that employ migrant workers. How hard would it be to send a truck to each farm in the county once a day? Anything from a taco truck to a pickup full of boxes would do. Hand out enough food for the workers to eat a hearty meal on the spot, and more to take to their kids or share with fellow refugees who haven't found work. 

I'll be emailing all my contacts soon to start signing up volunteers for dozens of tasks. Maybe farm meals can be part of our solution. What do you think?