U students throw up the U sign to show university pride. HungerU does it to combat world hunger.
Under the Farm Journal Foundation, HungerU’s goal is to educate college students about modern agriculture and how it affects the global food crisis. The U is the first stop on their fall 2014 college tour.
HungerU’s telecommunication and media representative, Tracee Schiebel, said the U-block logo shared by the organization and the university are not related, and the decision to launch the tour at the U was not because of this similarity.
“It’s an exciting coincidence,” Schiebel said. “The U is a great agriculture school and we thought it was a perfect idea to launch here. We like to think of ourselves as the first ripple of the ripple effect. We’re the dropping stone in the pond, teaching people about the issue.”
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, approximately 5.7 percent of American households have low food security. This translates to nearly seven million households in the U. S. that are unable to provide the proper amount of resources for each family member.
HungerU’s main targets for starting a dialogue about the hunger issue are college students because of their enthusiasm for current issues.
“College students, when they find a cause they’re passionate about, they take it and roll with it,” Schiebel said. “They’re eager to make a difference and there are a lot of opportunities on a college campus to get involved.”
HungerU’s hunger statistics state one in seven people are battling hunger worldwide, while one in six people are hungry nationwide.
Amber Ferdig, a junior in biology, attended the HungerU exhibit and said it raised important issues.
“If you think about it, there’s a good chance the students who come here might have experienced hunger in their lifetime,” Ferdig said. “And I think it’s important to remember, not only are people in developing worlds hungry, but people in our own backyards might be as well.”
Megan Mabey, a senior in psychology, said the U.S. is “fortunate” in terms of food.
“We have a lot of resources, but I was amazed by how much food we waste in the U.S.,” Mabey said. “If we want to combat hunger we should probably start educating on different resources and encouraging people to be more aware of what they waste.”
HungerU’s two and a half month fall tour ends mid-November in Wisconsin.
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