Highlights from Sarah Cluggish's primer on Hunger Issues in Massachusetts:

"Hunger in the United States is obviously a different phenomena than what you see in developing countries throughout the world. But it's still a very real and serious problem that millions of families face. And unfortunately, shame, lack of knowledge and a feeling of helplessness makes the problem difficult to talk about for those struggling with hunger and those trying to help.

The USDA measures hunger in terms of food security. This scientifically-tested approach breaks households into four groups: high food security (no problems consistently accessing nutritious food); marginal food security (occasional problems, but nothing that substantially impacts the household's diet); low food security (households are able to access food, but not provide a consistent and nutritious diet - eating cereal without milk three times a day at the end of each month); and very low food security (adults and children are regularly skipping meals because they don't have the resources to purchase food).

The USDA measures food security every year in a supplemental survey to the US Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. In 2008, 14.6% of American households were food insecure and 5.7% had very low food security - the highest recorded since 1995. In Massachusetts, 8.3% of households (about 554,000 people) were food insecure, 3.8% had very low food security.

Hunger impacts the health outcomes of our most vulnerable populations - children, elders and the chronically ill. Food insecure children and elders are more likely to suffer from asthma, anemia, and cardiovascular disease. They are hospitalized more often and for longer periods. Food insecure mothers and children have more anxiety, depression and behavior issues. And food insecurity can contribute to childhood obesity.

There are a number of efforts to combat hunger - food pantries, soup kitchens, community meals programs, federal nutrition programs (such as food stamps, school meals, summer meals and WIC (Women, Infants and Children)), community gardens, food co-ops, etc.

What can you do to help?

- Support your local food pantries and soup kitchens by volunteering your time and/or contributing money and food.

- Participate in the Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 2nd!

- Consider partnering with other organizations, schools, etc. to promote school breakfast programs and summer meals programs in Medford. Help de-stigmatize these programs and make children feel good about participating in them.

- Consider partnering with other groups in Medford to offer more community meal opportunities."

Our Hunger Justice Series starts tonight at Grace Church

Tonight February 24 at 7pm (dinner at 6pm)
Grace Episcopal Church
160 High Street/Medford MA 02155

A Primer on Hunger:
Sarah Cluggish of Project Bread will give an overview of hunger in this country and specifically in Massachusetts. What constitutes "hunger"? How do we measure it? What is the impact of hunger (or food insecurity) on people's health - specifically on children and elders? And finally, a brief overview of the most common responses to hunger in this country.

Recipe from today's kickoff

Thanks to everyone who attended our kickoff event today! It was a really successful luncheon -- great speakers, great food, great audience. We hope people left with some good concrete ideas of things we can do to reduce hunger in our community.

One of the dishes at the lunch was my citrus-dijon lentil salad. Some people requested the recipe, so here it is -- it's easy and a great way to include lentils in your diet beyond lentil soup. Lentils are a great food for sustainable eating: they're a healthy vegetarian source of protein, and as one of the most ancient legumes, they're a hardy plant that doesn't require too many resources to grow.

Citrus-Dijon Lentil Salad
(Serves 12 as a side, or 6 as a main dish.)

1 lb lentils (green, brown, or French)
1 tsp salt

1 small onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 orange (optional)
1 lemon
1/4 to 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, pressed or grated
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp prepared brown or dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1) Rinse the lentils and place in a large pot with enough water to cover the lentils by several inches. Add 1 tsp salt.

2) Bring the lentils to a boil. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding more water if the lentils have absorbed it all. Remove from heat when the lentils are cooked but still firm (not mushy), and drain liquid.

3) Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, sauté onion, carrots, and celery in vegetable oil over medium heat. Cook until the onion is soft and the carrot and celery are crisp-tender.

4) Zest the lemon (and optional orange) into a small bowl. In a measuring cup, combine the juice from the lemon, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and enough vinegar or orange juice to make a total of 1/2 cup of liquid.

5) Add the juice and vinegar to the zest, then add the olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk together thoroughly.

6) Combine the drained lentils, vegetables, and dressing and mix together gently. Taste for seasoning -- if the salad tastes too flat, add more vinegar, and if it tastes too bland, add more salt.

Serve warm or at room temperature. If possible, prepare a day ahead so that the flavors have time to meld. Enjoy!

Join us Sunday February 21st for a Luncheon and Panel Discussion!

Our Lenten Food For Thought Campaign Kick-off Event is here! At this event we will hear from 3 different local food pantries/soup kitchens about their services to those who are hungry in our community and how we can get involved.

During this season of Lent, Grace Church is providing a ways to serve those who are food insecure. A few different ways include donating a box or bag of food for our food drive; donating gift cards to local grocery stores; giving a financial gift to the St Luke's Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry to help keep it running; giving a financial gift to the Grace Church Hunger Relief Youth Mission Trip; volunteering at the St Luke's Soup Kitchen/Food Pantry, and volunteering at the Greater Boston Food Bank. If you are interested in doing any of these things, or if you have any other ideas of how we can serve the hungry in our community, contact Rachael Pettengill at rachael@diomassintern.org.

Lenten Campaign Kick Off Event Rescheduled Due to Snow!

The event has been moved to Sunday February 21 at 11:30am following the 10am Sunday Service at Grace Church

Please come for a special luncheon provided by Alicia and Jonathan Hunt and friends. After lunch we will have our panel discussion on the ministries of local food pantries and soup kitchens featuring leaders from St Luke's, St Francis, and the Unitarian Universalist Church in Medford.

Please come to learn how you can participate in the Food for Thought campaign through volunteer work, fundraising, and donating food for our food drive.