RALEIGH, N.C.– From Feb. 27 to 28, The Franciscan Coalition for Justice and Peace, a ministry of the Catholic Community of St. Francis of Assisi here, will host “Hunger No More,” an ecumenical, interfaith conference.
Distinguished hunger activists will offer a deeper understanding of what causes hunger and provide comprehensive and innovative approaches to combating hunger and its effects.
David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World and global advocacy leader, will give the keynote address. Other hunger advocates will facilitate workshops that include “The Global Hunger Crisis,” “Take Action on Local Hunger,” “Hunger Advocacy and Public Policy,” “Climate Change and Hunger,” “Student Activism,” and “The Human Face of Hunger: Documentary Perspectives.”
Workshop speakers and panelists are Gerry Straub, documentary filmmaker, award-winning author, and founder of the San Damiano Foundation; Eva Clayton, former congresswoman and assistant director general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization; Ray Buchanan, founder of the international hunger relief agency, Stop Hunger Now; Dr. William Whelan, hunger economist for the USDA Food Assistance Program; Steve Waldmann, executive director of the Society of St. Andrew; Peter Werbicki, president/CEO of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina; Jill Staton Bullard, executive director and founder of the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle; Gary Gay, director of Food Distribution for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture; Franciscan Sister Margaret Mary Kimmins, religious community outreach associate, Bread for the World; Dr. William Chameides, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University; and student-leader hunger activists.
The conference begins with a banquet sponsored by the hunger awareness agency OxFam, highlighting the disparity of access to food across the globe, followed by a video presentation by Straub. Beckmann’s keynote address takes place Feb. 28.
Megan Nerz, Raleigh’s director of pastoral ministries, said, “As the number of people turning to food banks, soup kitchens and other emergency food assistance programs continues to surge, I invite you to attend this conference as together we set a new course and learn how to implement practical solutions to end senseless hunger in our time.”
Additional information and registration is available at www.franciscancoalition.org or by calling Nerz at 919-847-8205.