From Harvest to the Hungry,'
Kansans address the issue of hunger

Do Kansans have a moral obligation to take action towards ending hunger? This and other hunger issues will be discussed in a series of forums and events during Fort Hays State University's "From Harvest to the Hungry," a series of events scheduled in three separate weeks throughout the spring semester.

Events will include special edition Times Talks, evening presentations, film screenings and round-table public forums.

The Center for Civic Leadership will partner with the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, the Ellis County Historical Society, the Hays Public Library and FHSU's Forsyth Library to show how Kansans can fight hunger.

Week 1 begins Saturday, Feb. 2. The topic will be "The Face of Hunger." The goal is to explore the reasons a person may not have access to food in the Hays community, Kansas, the country and throughout the world.

The American Democracy Project, partnering with Tigers In Service and the Kansas Food Bank, will kick off the week with Bob Boxes Food Packaging from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at the former Walmart building, 3300 Vine.

Volunteers will package food for senior citizens in Kansas during two-hour shifts. For more information or to sign up, contact Tigers In Service at 785-628-5537 or service@fhsu.edu.

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 4, in Cody Commons in the Memorial Union, screenings of the short films "What's for Dinner," "Hungry Kids in America" and "Hunter Hits Home" will be shown. Following the films, Kansas Food Bank CEO Brian Walker will lead a discussion.

"Local Hunger: Ellis County and the Western Kansas Area," a special edition Times Talk, will be at 12 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, in the back of Forsyth Library. Randall Summit, director of the Kansas Division of the Salvation Army, and Walker will present on the area's current hunger situation. An evening presentation will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Stouffer Lounge of the Memorial Union.

At 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, a special edition Times Talk, "The Face of Global Hunger," will be in the back of Forsyth Library. Terry Wasinger from Heartland Farm and Rick McNary with Stop Hunger Now will talk about their personal experiences fighting global hunger. An evening session will be at 6 p.m. at the Hays Public Library.

"The Rising Cost of Food," a national issues forum round-table discussion about the rising cost of food and the effect it has on the hungry, will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Robbins Center on the FHSU campus.

Week 2, "A Food Production Giant," begins Monday, Feb. 25, and runs through Wednesday, March 6. The focus of this week is the history of action taken by Kansans to decrease hunger in the world.

"How Can We Make a Difference?" is the topic for Week 3, beginning Saturday, April 6, and running through Thursday, April 11. Discussion will focus on additional steps Kansans can take to erase hunger not only locally but around the world.

For more information, contact Anne Drees, American Democracy Project student coordinator, at 785-628-5399 or akdrees@fhsu.edu.