Letter: Support food shelf and church hunger programs all year long

To the editor:

When you woke up this morning, did you have to worry about whether or not you would have enough food available to feed yourself or your family today?

For the majority of Americans, that is something that doesn’t cross their minds. But for 7% or more of our children in this country that is an almost daily issue. We are sadly accustomed to seeing pictures of the starving children from the war-torn countries around the world, and we often do our best to send aid where possible. Shouldn’t we also try to be aware of those closest and dearest to us and make sure they too have enough to eat?

There certainly is no easy solution to any of these problems. However, as a long-time member of Minnesota Farm Bureau, I have been a firm believer in the organization’s emphasis of food and family values. It is important to remember that it is farmers who (with the help of Mother Nature) produce the products that go into our food supply chain and are at the very start of that process.

Every year, the American farmers do their very best to produce the crops and animals in efficient and sustainable ways that will produce the abundant beginning to the food chain. It takes the full-hearted effort of everyone else to see that it is available – especially to our children and the elderly. So, this is a call to support your local food shelf or church hunger programs, not just in March’s food awareness campaign, but all year long.

Vern Hedlin
Douglas County Farm Bureau President
Alexandria, MN