The original thanksgiving was turkey-free. Back in the day, it was simply about the Pilgrims offering up prayers of appreciation. But in 1621, they threw a huge, three-day feast to celebrate their first New World harvest. They broke bread with the Native Americans, who hipped them to New World planting skills, and no one went hungry.
As we celebrate this holiday at the Half a Loaf Project, we’re thankful that we’re nearing the end of our survey process, where we’ve asked 400 people in the Triple Cities area about any challenges they may face accessing food and a putting food on the table on any given day of the year.
As you may know, Broome County has tried a number of ways to address the problem, such as the Childhood Hunger Awareness Week last summer. Around that time, the Office of Social Services took in about 500 new applications for food stamps a month, while the Catholic Charities served more than 1,500 people in the first few weeks of August. But efforts to close the gap between people and good nutrition often encounter communication challenges, so that’s where Half A Loaf is stepping in.
In the coming weeks, we’ll be processing the information we gathered to create hi, medium and low-tech ways for area residents to find food in the area that they might not be aware is there.
Before Black Friday, before balloons floated down Broadway in the Macy’s Parade, it was about putting food on the table. It still is.
--Pamela K. Johnson
The Half A Loaf Team
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