Friday, March 1, 2013

Denver Conference

Debbie Fabriquer, the Director of Programs for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano and myself just returned from the Hunger Study 2014 conference in Denver.  The day we arrived, a strong storm hit.  It was such a shock to my system to travel from sunny San Francisco to the cold snow fall of Denver.



The snow did not stop scores of dedicated Food Bank representatives from around the nation in attending the conference.  It was exciting to meet these individuals and to learn with them at the conference.

One of the highlights of the conference was learning about the tablets that will be used to administer the survey. The study is now "high tech," and the use of these tablets will help in streamlining the process of getting data to Westat, the agency that will be compiling the information.

We were able to get a feel of the tablets and a feel of what the gathering of information will look like.  This will assist us in training volunteers to help data collection run smoothly.

One evening, after the conference was over,  I was able to take a taxi to downtown Denver in search of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown's" house.  The Titanic has always fascinated me, and since the weather did not permit me to see it during the day, I got to drive by and snap a photo.



As we entered the downtown area we passed a shelter.  Outside of this shelter were about 20 individuals, that I assume were homeless.  They were gathered in a plaza talking.  I was horrified at the thought of any of them having to sleep outside in the snow.  Even further downtown, I saw a homeless woman walking barefoot on the icy sidewalks.

I did not imagine that my journey to Molly Brown's house would serve as a lesson.  Seeing the sights of those in need in downtown Denver highlighted the importance of the Hunger Study.  We need this data in order to sustain and increase funding to help the hungry among us.

It was also interesting to get a glimpse into what hunger looks like in different areas of the nation.  While speaking about income levels during the conference, on representative from San Francisco noted that in the Bay Area, $50,000 does not go very far.  The income levels in the Bay Area may be high, however, the cost of rent, food, and other needs are high as well.  Again, this shows the importance of the study: when we know what hunger looks like in a certain area we can address it effectively.

Now that we are back from the conference, we will begin volunteer recruitment.  If you would like to  volunteer, please contact Robert Brown at rbrown@foodbankccs.org or 925-677-7016.  You can also text your interest to 925-695-7388.




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