Get Involved - has information about a number of ways that you can learn about and join efforts to end hunger: through donations, volunteer work, advocacy, public education, or a unique community-based method of finding and linking the unique skills of local community residents (Asset-Based Community Development).

Recommendations

The Hunger Study Group believes strongly that the value of this report can only be measured by the actions and changes it produces. Eliminating hunger is no easy task. The conditions of poverty which bring hunger are complex, and solutions to the economic balances in our society are controversial. But poverty does not necessarily have to result in hunger. Whose responsibility is it to feed the hungry? How will it be accomplished?

In analyzing and reviewing this information, the Hunger Study Group developed a set of goals and recommendations which involve every member of our community and government at all levels. These recommendations are not a comprehensive list. Many other tasks and approaches could be considered. The Hunger Study Group believes, however, that these recommendations offer a beginning step toward recognizing the shared responsibility to respond to what is a growing and often overwhelming problem in our community.

One of the concerns of the Hunger Study Group is to recognize the limitations of the private emergency food network and its volunteer forces. Often created as a temporary stop-gap measure to respond to emergency needs, these services are now developing into permanent programs. As ongoing programs they require stable and consistent resources to maintain adequate services. In addition, it is necessary to seek approaches which also address the underlying causes and complex needs of hungry people and alleviate the burden on the emergency system. Coordination and cooperation among service providers, policymakers, and all community resources are necessary to serve the needs of the whole
community effectively.

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