do justice

spotlight on hunger October 12, 2009

It’s that scrumptious time of year again.  Red and gold leaves decorate the sidewalks.  The air bites with crispness. I’m pulling out scarves from the deep recesses of my closet.  Pumpkin muffins and apple pies waft their tantalizing aromas throughout Portland’s bakeries and—when I feel the compulsive urge to bake—my own kitchen.

Autumn.  How I do love this season.

Yet as I sit in my office and stare through the window at the changing leaves and heavy clouds, I am reminded that fall does not bring delight to everyone.  Amidst those shopping for a new cable-knit sweater and the search for the perfect pumpkin, there are mounting concerns within the city about warmth and food.  Colder weather means higher energy bills for heat—if you can afford it.  Many brace themselves for a colder home since a toasty bedroom is a luxury not to be had. Life on the street gets rough as temperatures shiver downward.  Food becomes more important during these colder days—to sustain energy for work (or the job hunt) and healthy immune systems.  And just when food becomes more vital for success, hunger spreads its ugly, stomach-gripping talons even more than before.

It is not an accident that October at Warner Pacific is Hunger Awareness Month. Those of us trading in our tank tops for coats should pause and recognize that not all of our neighbors are as fortunate. Not all of us have warm, filling meals to boost energy and satisfy stomachs. For many, the most prominent, current concern is not figuring out a Halloween costume. It is staying warm and staying fed. Sometimes, it’s choosing one over the other.

Over the next three weeks, Warner will be exposed to the various facets—and faces—of hunger, on both a local and global scale. I am not asking you to forego your morning muffin and latte out of guilt. Rather, allow yourselves to be open and challenged by the information and stories you encounter. Ask: what does it mean to be a neighbor in this season? How am I able to respond? What individual action is appropriate amidst the sharpening pinch of hunger and poverty?

I invite you to take part in this month’s Hunger Awareness. Every year, this month presents the opportunity to reflect upon the world a little differently and to examine how the issue of hunger calls us out of ourselves, for this season and beyond.