A lot of news recently about hunger. Not much about the raging famine in Africa or the endemic hunger that much of the world experiences (I have a theory as to why, but that's another post...).
No, the recent articles have been about the growing food insecurity and the daily hunger that so many American's experience. It is actually rather startling how many people experience 'food insecurity' in the US. In 2009, 14.7 percent of households (17.4 million households) were food insecure. In 2009, 5.7 percent of households (6.8 million households) experienced very low food security. That's according to Feeding America. Here are just a few good stories that I've come across recently that illustrate the difficulty that many of our neighbors are facing. I really like this profile from CNN. You may have heard about people taking the Food Stamp Challenge and living on a dollar amount equivalent to what they'd get in food stamps. Here is one person's experience. More in depth version on his blog... This post is just for education. I heard a story the other day from a woman who regularly gave her neighbors fresh food because they didn't have the money to buy it at the store. Of course what was offered at their nearby grocery store was brown and bruised and not anything resembling the type of fresh vegetables and fruits my friend purchased (for less) at a market on the other side of town. I want to be more like my friend. I want all of us to be more like my friend.
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If you haven't heard, the US Census released a report on poverty in the US a couple of days ago. If you haven't had a chance, go check it out...
The big deal in it is that 1 in 6 Americans currently live in poverty. Given that the threshold for poverty is potentially a bit low, if you add in the number of people who struggle to make ends meet but don't actually qualify as 'poor' the true of number of Americans who are hurting economically is probably higher, though I'll not try make an assumption as to how much higher. While there are numerous ideas on how to help the US economy and to alleviate the poverty we face, I'd like to remind everybody that until we address the injustice facing so many of our fellow human beings, we will never be able to truly combat poverty. That is not an easy fight and it's not a fight that any one of us can win on our own. But by standing together and supporting leaders and organizations who are committed to fighting injustice and changing how our political and economic systems operate we can work together to create real change. With national elections a little over a year away we have a real opportunity, not to mention a calling, to help start the country down a road that leads us away from fear and self-centered actions and towards a place that is fightin injustice and demonstrating how love can win (to steal a line from Rob Don't you love a good appetizer? I know I do. A good appetizer really takes your excitement and ramps it up. It doesn't fill you up, but it gives you an idea of what the whole meal will be like and leaves you ready for that entree.
Thanks to our friends at Soul Munchies, we have an appetizer for you from the new album. Check it out and then come to the live show this Saturday at House of the Rock (doors open at 7pm). Trust me, it will definitely leave you ready for more! As we get ready for the fall mini-tour, I was thinking back to some of my favourite shows from the past and how I'd love to able to relive those shows and the memories I associate with them. Sadly, I can't do that because they weren't recorded.
I mentioned to Matt the other day that we ought to record the upcoming shows, even if we didn't do anything with the recordings, it would be nice to have them for posterity. He didn't really reply, but it obviously stuck with him because I am now proud to announce that we will recording and selling dvd's on the show on the 17th at House of the Rock in Atlanta. So come out to the show (doors open at 7) and make some noise. You might just end up on the dvd! Greetings everyone!
While posting may have been a bit sparse lately, rest assured that the guys have been busy. Let me catch you up... First, they are embarking on a mini-tour of sorts this September and October. The first show christens House of the Rock as a concert venue on the 17th of September (Doors open at 7) After that is a solid weekend of music on the 1st and 2nd of October. It starts on the 1st as part of the Citizens with the Saints Tour, or check out the Facebook site After that comes another show in South Carolina that evening. A show in Hickory, NC on the 2nd rounds out the weekend. THe guys are in Mooresville, NC on the 15th of October They round things up on the 21st back at House of the Rock as part of a concert helping ELCA World Hunger promote their Malaria Initiative. (Which happens to tie into our work with Lifestraw quite well!) As for the album (yeah, I want a copy right now too...), it looks like you can purchase towards the end of October or early November. More details to come soon! |
SB SPEAKSJ Trapp (our resident expert on all things global and social awareness) writes... Archives
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