There’s this group called Mazon. It bills itself as the Jewish Response to Hunger.
They bought a semi-trailer and retrofitted it to be a traveling museum. It’s been on the road for almost 18 months. And for the next couple of days, it’s at Temple Beth Sholom.
You walk up to the trailer and the first thing you see is it’s covered in words. These are words of people who don’t have enough food. Sentences like, “This is choosing between buying blood pressure medication and groceries.” “This is knowing that you need help, but are too ashamed to ask.” So, right when you pull up, the truck itself is giving you messages.
Carrie Kaufman visited this the This is Hunger trailer Monday and talked Jackie Schicker, one of the tour guides, about the exhibit.
“On this wall beside us there are portraits of individuals, couples, children and families who have dealt with hunger or food insecurity interspersed between those portraits are infographics in color so if you want to read more about hunger in the military or hunger in seniors you can do so on the walls around us.”
“Hunger is no partisan issue. So SNAP is today – which is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – formerly known as food stamps. It was a bi-partisan bill designed and constructed by Senator Bob Dole. The reality is that hunger is a nonpartisan issue. It is impacting every single American. And it’s, I believe, more in our country and our ability to be compassionate about so basic of a need. So, of course, I think it’s necessary that we come together and don’t enable divisiveness on a policy issue like the 1 in 8 Americans who are hungry."
Graphics from This is Hunger presentation
She also spoke with the National Synagogue Organizer for Mazon Samuel Chu:
"We created This is Hunger a couple of years ago and it has been traveling across the country for the last year and a half. To share and really unearth the stories that are really unheard and untold in our communities. You are hearing stories from seniors who are just like your neighbor down on your block that struggles on their fixed income, can’t buy enough fresh fruit because she can’t afford to. Or the kid who goes to school with your children who can’t afford a school meal because they can’t make a payment for their school lunch. These are the kind of stories that happens and exists and lives in our community and in our neighborhood. This is Hunger is meant to really shine a light on these stories and then begin the conversation about what can we do to end and address these problems."
And with a member of Temple Beth Sholom Morris Gertz:
“We pay farmers in this country not to grow food crops because they don’t want to upset the marketplace. I honestly think that if all these farmers were working and producing not only could we feed all the hungry in the United States but we could feed all the hungry around the world. But that is never going to happen because of the markets.
On the other hand, our government is now trying to cut back on Meals on Wheels, I believe, which is apparently the only source of food for some people”
“Here in Las Vegas, we have all these casinos that have buffets how much of that food goes into the garbage? I would assume a lot of it does – a lot.”
The truck is parked at Temple Beth Sholom at 10700 Havenwood Lane in Summerlin, Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can explore the issues surrounding hunger in America, and get a little preview of the traveling experience at Mazon's website.
Jackie Schicker, tour facilitator, Mazon's This is Hunger; Samuel Chu, National Synagogue Organizer, Mazon; Morris Gertz, member, Temple Beth Sholom
