Reflections, Thoughts, and Prayers from Kurt Nelson, Director of Religious & Spiritual Life at Bucknell (and friends).
Today we traveled to Washington D.C. to speak with Rev. David Street from Bread for The World. The mission of Bread for The World is to end hunger at a national and international level through changing policies. Within the organization they adjust their focus on a yearly basis, alternating between the ending of hunger nationally and internationally. During this year the organization is focusing on one important piece of legislation at the national level known as the farm bill.
Baltimore City presented a variety of possibilities on how nutritional foods can have a positive impact on the community, we are showered with wisdom and hospitality within the community of Baltimore. Individuals from outside Baltimore are given an opportunity to see a softer side of the city and not, as the story is often told in public, “Dangerous.” We were given the opportunity to feed the unfortunate and be able to make a small impact on the homeless community, expressing their drive to help even though they have so little they still try to help and be somewhat of a hand for others.
During our time serving food, I was given a chance to absorb some knowledge from a wise man who told us that “We are all the same, just because we have different skin color, religion and culture. We still bleed the same, sharing the same color of blood.” He spit out complete facts and once we can see that and learn from that, our world maybe will be a bit better.
I never knew where my life would take me. To Bucknell university or to be taking this class on how religion can connect people to issues like food insecurity. To Strength to Love farm II or to the Islamic Society of Baltimore. I am passionate about the Earth so maybe it isn’t a huge surprise that I would end learning how people tend to it. That’s how I ended up working as a student farmer, but it was a surprise how much I love farm work. Today, of course, I was not as surprised to find out how much I enjoyed helping out at Strength to Love II farm, where me and my colleagues chipped away at a project shoveling piles of stones and mats of thickly intertwined grasses. Our goal was to move this dirt off of a deeply buried sidewalk to return it to the sun and to the surface so that the farm could be accessible to those who use wheelchairs. So in exposing the old and forgotten sidewalk we were hoping to expose new people to farming and the work it takes to grow food. This work was exhausting yet rewarding. For every foot we advanced was easily half an hour of digging and scraping and hauling with all our collective might. We spent jut over 2 hours in work and then sat down to a lovely lunch and conversation with the those who working there (Shout out to Jade, Shay, Dorris and John – Sorry if I spelled any of your names wrong) we talking about the work that the farm did in the growing season sowing and harvesting and the work they wanted to be doing, foreign more connections between the community and urban farm that it surrounded.
Today we volunteered at the Our Daily Bread Employment Center’s meal service. It was not a particularly busy day, but there was a pretty good turnout of people. It was interesting to see the different types of people that come for the food. Many cleaned their plates entirely, while some did not seem to appreciate the fortunate opportunity that they have to get a full plate of food and wasted a majority of their plate. Nonetheless, I understand that whilst not 100% of our efforts are being translated into direct help to the people, we were able to put ourselves in a position to serve, observe, and learn about how organizations such as the Daily Bread and the Black Church Network that we got some exposure to the days before are trying to fight the problem of food apartheid.
Today I had the pleasure of attending a Sunday service at Liberty Grace Church of God, where the sermon today was about God always keeping his promise, we just have to be patient, in the meantime have faith and work to be prepared for your promise. Liberty Grace Church of God along with the other churches that they are partnered with are living proof of this message.
Following Sunday service, Terris King॥ gave us a tour of West Baltimore centering around some of the available green spaces in Baltimore that he and other collaborative churches and community members are using to create garden spaces, a place for children to have a sacred place, to grow food for the community through Temple X Schools.
By Cindy Cortez ’24
“If you give a hungry man food, he will eat it. If you give him land, he will grow his own food.” ~Fannie Lou Hamer
I have always been very active in my communities but always questioned whether what I’m doing is what my community actually needs and whether I am doing it for the right reasons. From Rev. Dr. Heber Brown III, the founder of the Black Church Food Security Network, I answered part of my question: GIVE PEOPLE POWER. It’s not only about one-time charity, but rather a sustainable and empowering solution. A message which is better conveyed in the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, a Black American activist: “[On her Freedom Farm Cooperative:] If you give a hungry man food, he will eat it. [But] if you give him land, he will grow his own food.”
Continue reading “GIVE PEOPLE POWER – Dependence vs Interdependence“By Gloria Sporea ’24
During our first day in Baltimore, we had the incredible honor of being introduced to the Black Food Security Network, along with the network staff, and founder, Dr. Rev. Heber Brown III. We were welcomed with open arms, warmness, and community; although we were stepping on grounds we had never been to before, we all left with an impacted heart and soul, and most importantly, an understanding that the vital work that is done by such organizations should be uplifted for the greater good of all. More specifically, we generated a broader comprehension that reliance for positive change should not be placed on the same structures that created such discrimination, rather, it begins with the individual and their community.
On our penultimate night of this immersive experience, a fellow student, Salina Musyaju, introduced us to a reflective exercise titled “Lollipop moment”. Within the context of this exercise, we discussed a moment from our week that has brought us happiness or changed our lives. When pondering this prompt, I fixated on the encounters from our first few days at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church. In remembrance of a sentiment shared by Dr.Brown along the lines of critiquing what is to create what should be, I shared my connection to other experiences from our trip. Such sentiment drove my innovative spirit to further analyze the needs of various organizations we have partnered with to create affinities and projects that will serve a communal purpose of encouraging the competence of food insecurity for residents and spectators.
This trip to Baltimore was truly an amazing experience. I am overly grateful and appreciative for the work that Kurt Nelson has put into informing students about food insecurity that happens right before our eyes. The trip started with an inspirational message from Pastor Brown at Pleasant Hope Baptist Church. Here he and his team greeted us with a warm welcome as we were about to embark on our experience of Baltimore. They spoke to us about the demographics of Baltimore and the gentrification that took place and has and continues to impact thousands of Baltimore residents today. One of the pressing issues in Baltimore city is the unequal distribution of resources that has caused many to become food insecure. Neighborhoods in the city have been named a “food desert” due to the lack of resources and the inability of the residents to access stores that provide nutrient-rich foods. This eye-opening discussion truly paved the way for a week full of extremely meaningful work.
Something very special to me on this trip is the willingness of people to teach and speak with the youth. I believe the youth hold an abundance of power for our future generations. It starts with education first, the more people that are made aware of the issues around them, the more people will be prompted to do something to make a difference in the system. It only takes one person to make a change that puts a dent in the current system that has destroyed many.
Something else I have appreciated on this trip is the people that distribute food to food-insecure cities are very adamant about making sure we treat all people equally. Food is a necessity to survive and not just calories, but a balanced meal that is filled with nutrients. People should not be offered fewer nutrient foods due to their socioeconomic status. Canned foods are simply not sufficient for one’s daily nutrients. People need fresh fruit, veggies, and produce to sustain them daily. If you would not feel comfortable eating what you’re giving others, then it should not be given out. The workers at the organizations of Our Daily Bread and iCARRe Found both made sure we understood this.
We then concluded with one last visit to Pastor Brown where we debriefed and did some self-reflection after our work. I am grateful for learning what I have on this trip and I hope to continue to integrate what I have learned into my day-to-day future life.
This Tuesday we spent some time getting our hands dirty at the Strength To Love Farm in Baltimore. This farm is located in the middle of Sandtown-Winchester, where the nearest grocery store is too far away to be accessible to the majority of people living there. Our hosts at the farm talked to us a little bit about the history and development of the area and about their future goals for the farm and the community-building possibilities that it presents. They host programs that build employment skills for previously incarcerated people and are planning a celebration for National Black Gardeners day sometime in the future (a celebration of their own creation) and many other programs in arts, business, and education designed to uplift and directly support the community in need.
