Foundation Journal

Will Allen and the "Good Food Revolution" Come to Kansas City

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:30:00 +0000

Will Allen with Milwaukee-based Growing Power described an astonishing collection of the group's food projects during the "Abolish Food Deserts" presentation at the Anita Gorman Conservation Discovery Center on August 27, 2011. Some have called the efforts of this organization a "good food revolution." Taking the pulse of participants of the event indicate there are a number of food growers and advocates willing to join the movement or re-double efforts here in Kansas City.

"Abolish Food Deserts" event in Kansas City on August 27, 2011 (from left): Sasteh Mosley
with Green Acres Urban Farm and Research Project, Will Allen with Growing Power, and
Ernest Bradley with Lincoln University--St. Louis Urban Impact Center.

Local growers, farmers, and advocates could barely contain their enthusiasm after the presentation, asking practical questions about the array of methods and practices described by Allen. Local growers asked about worms, composting. sprout thinning, and how Growing Power controls weeds in their immaculately clean plots displayed during the slideshow presentation. To the question about weeds, Allen responded they don't weed gardens; in some cases they cover the plot with "compost tea," a super-charged, nutrient-rich liquid distilled from the compost.

One audience member asked about composting on a school parking lot -- Allen advised him to use a series of pallet bins, allowing the group to quickly produce compost in a controlled, small space.

The event was organized by Green Acres Urban Farm and Research Project in Kansas City with sponsorship by the Lincoln University Cooperative Extension - Kansas City Urban Impact Center.

Allen emphasized that it's "all about the soil," meaning the productivity of gardens and farms relies on high quality soil. He spoke about the ingredients for producing compost -- farm waste, food waste, brewery waste, and coffee grinds mixed in with cardboard, wood chips, and leaves. Growing Power produces one million pounds of compost each year and sells it for eight times the cost of lower-quality compost

Growing Power owes its success to Allen's vision and the group's history of developing public-private partnerships with a wide array of organizations, such as the University of Wisconsin, local school systems, foundations, food distributors like Sysco, food retailers like Walmart, and social service agencies such as Catholic Charities, to name a few.

The organization has developed into a powerhouse non-profit that leverages economic development to sustain its growth. Allen mentioned Growing Power has several income channels, such as produce, compost, and honey sales. The organization maintains or support twenty farms in Wisconsin and the Chicago area -- stretching from small urban plots to larger projects like the three-acre 5th Avenue Farm and 40-acre Merton Rural Farm Site in Hartland, Wisconsin. The organization has a significant impact in the Milwaukee-Chicago area with 100 employees, attracting 15,000 annual visitors from all over the U.S. and throughout the world, engaging 5000 volunteers, and training 1000 farmers each year.

Growing Power's cornerstone is growing food year-round in the harsh climate near Milwaukee. "If we can grow food year round, you can grow food anywhere," Allen stated during his presentation. The organization maintains its year-round growing cycle through the development of a great number of hoop houses and greenhouses. As someone who grew up in the Milwaukee area and lived through some significant snowfalls during the winters there, I was impressed to to learn that Growing Power works year-round on food production.

Will Allen (left) with World Harvest
Ministries' Pastor Terry Glenn

The "Abolish Food Deserts" event included an afternoon workshop to build an aquaponics bunk bed at Kansas City Missouri School District's East High School at 1924 Van Brunt Blvd. Aquaponics operations have produced large quantities of yellow perch and tilapia for human consumption.

Organizations represented at the KC event included Cultivate Kansas City, KC Community Gardens, Green Acres, new-kid-on-the-block World Harvest Ministries' farmers' market at 3400 Woodland in Kansas City, and Lincoln University. These organizations have developed excellent relationships with local community groups, engaging in many aspects of the local food and growing movement, yet the scale of Growing Power challenges these groups to seek stronger regional partnerships to build a larger number of projects to address the economic and nutrition needs of KC area residents.

Strength of Community Radio Fabric on Display at the 2011 Grassroots Radio Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:46:00 +0000

GRC conference quilt

Community radio producers, DJ's, advocates, organizers, engineers, and students came together for the 2011 Grassroots Radio Conference in Kansas City to share the joys and frustrations with producing independent, community-focused media. The vision of an informal national network of Community Radio stations is represented by the conference quilt that stitches together several radio station T-shirts. This vision, which references a dedication to local communities is as strong as ever, but masks the difficulty of maintaining resources and developing new programs.

Representatives from stations as disparate as KPFA in San Francisco, KKFI in Kansas City, WORT in Madison, KOPN in Columbia, Missouri, KCSB in Santa Barbara, and many others spoke about the difficulty in attracting community organizations and individuals to produce their own programs. Joy Rushing with KOPN noted the lack of student involvement in the operations and programming of that station despite being blocks away from one of the best journalism schools in the US. Several workshops concentrated on increasing youth involvement, as well as increasing the involvement of women and people of color in community radio stations. An open discussion on new programming took place during the "Putting the 'Community' in Community Radio" workshop.

One conference workshop focused on how a few college radio stations like WRVU at Vanderbilt University in Nashville or KUSF at the University of San Francisco have been sold to corporate or public radio stations. Sharon Scott, an advocate to reverse the sale of WRVU to Nashville Public Radio, warned that "college radio stations are easy prey" and are "as a whole in jeopardy." She encouraged conference participants to protect college radio stations [Facebook group] from takeover, recalling the importance of these stations as "a training ground for community radio."

GRC participants during discuss on
Pacifica radio network affiliation.

Ursula Ruedenberg, Pacifica Affiliates Coordinator, expressed the strength of the community radio fabric when she reported that the Pacifica network is "gaining two to three affiliates per month" and "within a year we'll have more than 200 stations." She encouraged community radio stations to improve communications by developing a common Internet site and developing a 10-year financial plan to ensure the radio network longevity.

Community radio has a low cost of production compared to maintaining a TV studio, which has allowed stations to stay on the air. A new era in radio is on the horizon in the passage of the Local Community Radio Act, promising to bring online hundreds of low-power FM (LPFM) stations as described by Jim Ellinger with Austin Airwaves in his "The Next 100 Community Radio Stations" workshop at the conference. LPFM advocates like Prometheus Radio Project representatives encouraged groups to start their own radio station, in any location including small towns and dense urban areas.

Bitter medicine was served by JR Valrey, minister of information with POCC in Oakland, during his keynote address, which included a screening of Operation Small Axe. During the discussion after the film, Valrey reinforced that his organization does not use "spectator journalism," as evident in the film's focus on the Oscar Grant case in Oakland, where a handcuffed black man was shot and killed by a police officer. Valrey explained that the case of Oscar Grant was not more important than other murders, but was unique because the action of the police officer was caught on video.

He explained two unconventional elements used in the making of the film. One element was to let community members speak at length for themselves on film and the other element was to focus on voices across racial and class lines.

Valrey, a lifelong resident of Oakland, described how his Block Report Radio show on KPFA "breaks the myth" of a separation between community and journalism, as well as dispels the "unbiased" approach of many news outlets. He challenged community radio producers to not just report on community events and topics, but to provide permanent program slots at community radio stations. These program slots will allow members of struggling communities to tell their stories. Operation Small Axe underscored the importance of getting behind the barricades by listening and working with community organizations towards improving conditions in neighborhoods.

Listening to community voices as described by Valrey is part of the vision of many community radio stations. Community radio, unlike commercial or public radio stations, connects individuals within local communities, as well as creates the fabric across many cities and towns across the globe.

Good luck to the hosts of the 2012 Grassroots Radio Conference!

Banner Year for KKFI 90.1 FM

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 00:21:00 +0000

What a difference a year makes! After two years of financial difficulty which forced the community radio station to downsize the number of paid staff members, KKFI 90.1 FM has rebounded with some encouraging developments.

The station worked for years to gain recognition for its strong community and education direction by applying for a federally-funded PTFP grant. The persistent focus on community action and local programming paid off with a $75,000 matching grant to replace the station's original transmitter. Along with the transmitter news, the station won kudos by it's selection as the host broadcaster for the 2011 Homelessness Marathon, a nationwide radio broadcast to 140 radio stations and 25 television channels. KKFI also was selected as the host for the 2011 Grassroots Radio Conference, which focuses on radio producers, programmers, and developers.

KKFI is a place Kansas City area community organizations come to talk about their programs and activities. Engaging these groups on-air is an important part of KKFI's mission. KKFI takes pride in bringing community voices to listeners. These organizations include neighborhood groups, arts organizations, musicians and musical groups, health and educational institutional representatives, as well as groups focused on labor and immigrant rights, to name a few.

Tale of Two Mural Projects: Kansas and Gaza

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 03:34:00 +0000

Visual art has the potential to capture the imagination of both the artist and viewer. Public art, especially painted murals, occupy a special place that not only captures the imagination, but also the history and struggles of people wherever you see this art form. Mural projects that document popular history and culture, plus involve people in creating the work hold a special place in the hearts of the participants. Two mural projects in different parts of the world -- Gaza and Topeka -- fit this mold.

At a reception for Harvesters food assistance agencies held in Topeka on July 12, 2011, I spoke with Delores with Turnaround Topeka and first learned about a mural painted on a 900-foot wall in Topeka. Delores joined the reception after coordinating a mass distribution of donated food to 1000 Topeka area residents at the Expo Center.

"The Road From Brown V. Board" Lead Artist - Dave Loewenstein. Assisted by KT Walsh and students from Marty Moreno's Advanced Art class at Topeka High School. (photo: http://greatwalloftopeka.blogspot.com; 2009)

An article in the Topeka Capital-Journal explains the mural wall project, noting such seminal events as the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The Turnaround Topeka organization feels strongly enough about mural art that they have invested time to fundraise for the project.

The Great Mural Wall of Topeka started as an effort by members of the Chesney Park Neighborhood Association to clean up their area of graffiti and give something beautiful back to the community.

“People's history envisioned” has become the overall goal for the program. Each painting is used to symbolize events, places or people that are important to Topekans, both past and future.

Already, the 900-foot wall has been adorned with six 60-foot long murals, about such topics as the environment, Brown vs. Board of Education, Central Park Neighborhood and others. When the wall is finished, it will have 15 sections of murals. The seventh installment's title is "Contagious Beauty and Local Flavor." The topic is to exemplify the sources of inspiration in Topeka for the townspeople that cause them to create their own art, in any way, shape or form.

From Kansas to Gaza, Palestine
Native American and Lawrence, Kansas resident Melissa Franklin is participating in a US delegation of artists in support of the Maia Project, which brings clean, safe drinking water. The Maia Mural Project will design and paint murals on water purification buildings in Gaza in July 2011.

Melissa Franklin participating in the Maia Mural Project at the
Ghassan Kanafani Kindergarten in Gaza. (photo: Maia Mural Project)

The project is coordinated by the Middle East Children's Alliance and involves youth in refugee camps and schools located in Gaza. The spirit of protest and empowerment is at the core of this project as project members from the US work with the youth to design and paint the mural.

The Maia Mural Project will develop a series of collaborative murals focusing on environmental justice, specifically water or ‘maia’ in Arabic. The delegation will work with youth and artists in Gaza to paint murals at sites of water purification units that the Middle East Children’s Alliance is installing at UN Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) schools and kindergartens.

Maia Mural Brigade participants at the Ghassan
Kanafani Kindergarten in Gaza. (photo: Maia Mural Project)

Melissa Franklin (center) with Maia Mural Project participants at the
Ghassan Kanafani Kindergarten in Gaza. (photo: Maia Mural Project)

Follow these mural projects' reports and photos at these places:

KC Urban Farm Tour - sharing knowledge and experience

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 18:15:00 +0000

There's always a pleasant surprise during visits to sites on the KC Urban Farm Tour. This year was no different when a lively discussion on growing plants from seeds ensued at City Bitty Farm. The owners of City Bitty, a husband and wife team, gave tours of their 2.5 acre property, which included a demonstration tunnel, large rainwater container, and microgreens. One of the tour participants asked Jennifer of City Bitty Farm about their success with growing edible plants from seeds, mentioning his difficulty in consistent plant growth this year. Others described how they saved and used seeds. Another person added that corporate seed producers are engineering the seeds to prevent using them in subsequent years. Still another tour participant remarked that a failsafe way to find seeds that allow growers to save plant seeds is to use "heirloom" varieties. Someone else in the tour group mentioned that Belton's new policy on beekeeping has affected their growing.

The tour continued with a demonstration on sustainability methods and tools. The equipment that was demonstrated at the farm could be used for moderately-sized produce farms. These tools and methods show that businesses like that of Four Season Tools are helping growers produce more locally-grown food.

Tent City pops up again in Joplin after tornado

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Missouri food banks are continuing efforts to support individuals impacted by the Joplin tornado last month. Now news about historic water releases from upstream Missouri River resevoirs is prompting agencies and organizations to plan for relief efforts, including around the St. Joseph, Missouri area.

A recent news report on the Joplin KOAM-TV website indicated a tent city was created to support tornado victims. A tent city created by homeless people in Joplin was bulldozed in 2010 by city officials. An article in the Joplin Globe reinforced common stereotypes of homeless people rather than explore socio-economic conditions in the area which may have caused the need. “The kinds of reports we’ve been called to are varied: assaults, drinking, various code violations, intimidating behavior,” Police Chief Lane Roberts said. “It runs the gamut, but it’s difficult to control because it’s off the beaten path.”

Around 20 tornado survivors have been staying in tents there since at least Memorial Day. Most of the people living in Tent City are members of an extended family and are related to the land owner.

Based on plans by area food banks to provide a mobile food pantry to the tent city location to serve those that need food assistance, it appears there is a more compassionate approach to helping people needing services in Joplin.

Missouri River Flooding
The Second Harvest food bank located at 915 Douglas in St. Joe may need to be evacuated to an alternate site due to possible flooding. The evacuation may include relocating all the food in the food bank's warehouse, plus finding workspace for office workers in order to continue operations.

The City of St. Joseph has provided information on evacuation routes and services. The map shared here demarcates the location of the potential flooding area along the Missouri River in south St. Joe, along with its proximity to the food bank.

View 2011 Missouri Flooding - St. Joseph, MO in a larger map

Statewide Hunger Initiative is Launched in Minnesota - Where were the poor people at the event?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:59:00 +0000

Representatives of Hunger-Free Minnesota, an important statewide Minnesota initiative on hunger, held a press conference today (streamed live on UStream) in Minneapolis. The conference was preceded by a recorded segment which included first-person accounts by people that have recently sought food assistance. These stories documented strong emotions experienced by a range of people receiving food assistance, including veterans, immigrants, a financially-strapped teacher, elderly people, a person making ends meet after a job loss, a woman facing home foreclosure after a divorce -- all people not typically considered as needing food assistance.

After the recorded segment leaders of a coalition of food and health corporations, along with leaders from non-profit emergency assistance organizations, spoke about the Minnesota initiative to fill a gap of 100 million meals. Emery Koenig, a senior vice president with Cargill, spoke about efforts to increase the storage and distribution capacity for emergency food assistance. Pat Geraghty, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota mentioned how a person experiencing hunger is more likely to have diabetes and how a hungry child is more likely to not perform as well in school. Sarah Caruso, president of the Greater Twin Cities United Way, stated that the organization is making a $1 million investment in "prototyped" programs with a "proven track record," though she did not elaborate on the program.

Rob Zeaske, executive director with Second Harvest Heartland food bank in Minneapolis told a story about a family having to give up their dog due to financial problems. He outlined three elements of the Hunger-Free Minnesota initiative: (1) The organization knows the "finish line," that is, the huge gap in missed meals by people in Minnesota. (2) A detailed plan was developed by the Boston Consulting Group, which is a "global management consulting firm and the world's leading advisor on business strategy." (3) A strong coalition of partners is focusing on the programs within the initiative, though details of the programs were not discussed.

Ken Powell, president of General Mills, and Ellie Lucas, campaign officer for Hunger Free Minnesota, also spoke at the conference.

Though the press conference lacked details, the Hunger-Free Minnesota website outlined specifics:

Emergency Food System: Strategic initiatives will procure more donated food, support capacity-building and create cost savings within distribution practices.

SNAP-The Minnesota Food Support Program : Strategic initiatives will increase awareness, decrease stigma, expand outreach and address eligibility criteria.

Child Hunger and Nutrition Programs: Strategic initiatives will pursue cost-effective school food programs, connect children to summer meal programs and create strong community-based programs .

I thought the event would have benefited by having a person off the streets -- unscripted -- speaking for themselves at the podium, or at least have one of the people featured from the recorded message speak out at the event. Would audience members understand conditions of working poor people by listening to their questions to corporate executives?

Despite a lack of dialog between corporate executives and poor people at the event, this statewide initiative shows a significant commitment to addressing the problem with a variety of resources and players, including an effort to get more eligible people to apply for SNAP/Food Stamps. This last project at Second Harvest Heartland includes "six SNAP Outreach Specialists help provide information for distribution to clients, assist with SNAP screening and with SNAP applications including bilingual assistance, provide copies of necessary documents, help take the confusion out of the county application process and offer follow-up advocacy with county workers."

Bike Ride on Converted Railroad Trail is a Journey Through Time

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:12:00 +0000

Riding bicycles along the Katy Trail in Missouri is a reminder of bygone years between Clinton and Calhoun. The ride east out of Clinton traverses farm fields for three miles, so the sky is clearly visible along the mainly flat route. At this point, the trail crosses several creeks -- Deer Creek, Sand Creek, and two forks of the Tebo Creek, among others -- and the landscape and noises change significantly.

Sights and Sounds on the Katy Trail

The ride along the trail between Clinton and Calhoun is an easy one as the elevation changes little except for small rises and falls leading to creeks. We saw only a few bicycle riders along the trail. Pictures of solitude are a little misleading because of occasional loud motor engines from the highway 50 feet away. However, the visual beauty is accented by the sounds of nature -- what seems like millions of frogs in the area marked "prairie restoration" and the early sounds of Missouri cicadas. The cicadas are as loud as bird screeches, but don't have the synchronized rhythm they exhibit later in the Summer when their buzz is deafening. Some people that aren't from Missouri "freak out" when the cicadas reach their full volume and rhythm -- you have to grow to appreciate the sound. The unmistakable sound is cherished by many people as a landmark of the area. I can still recall hearing these sounds for the first time during return trips to Missouri to visit family in Sedalia and Boonville.

Coal Mining in Missouri
Along the trail between Calhoun and Clinton the landscape shows the barely visible signs of strip mining. If the Calhoun trail marker had not mentioned this history, I would not have thought to look differently at the landscape along the Katy Trail. There are several areas where the long, deep trenches created from strip mining have marked the landscape with open scars of earth still evident or filled with water. A satellite image of this area shows long, slender ponds outlining the areas of the strip mining.

The Tebo coalfield in the area was used for locomotive fuel and later for energy production as noted by a 1984 "Missouri Coal" report.

Coal, sometimes nicknamed "the rock that burns," is a product of nature's continual growth and decay.

Although not a true coal, peat is considered to be its first stage of development. Further stages of development. Further stages of development are the soft coals lignite, or brown coal; subbituminous coal; bituminous coal; and finally, anthractie, or hard coal

The coal we use now is as much as 300 million years old, formed in an era when lush vegetation and steamy, tropical conditions existed over much of the world.

On the Katy Trail near Calhoun, Missouri. This photo is an example

of prominent signs of strip mining coal in this area, where a pond has
formed in the deep trench created from the mining.

The report goes on to explain how productive the coal mine near Calhoun was: "The Tebo field was the largest producing area in the state before mining activity increased in the Bevier field in the late 1970s." Further, the Tebo field constituted 10 percent of Missouri's production.

"Most early coal mines in Missouri were underground. Interest in strip mining developed in the mid-1930s, and by the late 1960s, it was the only method used," the coal report states.

The abundance of coal throughout this area, along with other mine operations, may have encouraged my father to develop a keen interest in minerals and mining. After serving the military in WW2, he studied at what once was called the Missouri School of Mines (now Missouri University of Science and Technology) earning a degree in mining engineering.

The Clinton-to-Calhoun biking trail has revealed a breaktaking beauty and opened up an important part of Missouri history near where generations of my family have lived.

Support a 22-year-long experiment -- KKFI 90.1 FM, community radio

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 03:21:00 +0000

KKFI 90.1 FM, Kansas City's community radio station is holding the "Spring into Summer" on-air fund drive from June 2-12, 2011. This is the time to share your financial support for a 22-year-long experiment in community building.

I was reminded of the importance of Community Radio in Kansas City while watching the highly-acclaimed documentary film "I AM" this past weekend. The film, which features Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Lynne McTaggart, and the late Howard Zinn, answered two questions: "What's wrong with the World?" and "What can I do about it?"

KKFI T-shirt for $90 donation to the station.

The film portrayed society out-of-balance because of the "insane" quest for wealth and goods beyond a person's needs. The film made a case for critical thought and action to address the problem, indicating the best approach to solve the problem is by many people taking small, seemingly individual actions.

Many news and media outlets dance around this topic, but rarely does a radio or TV station have the space to ask these difficult questions on a variety of levels. In a phrase, KKFI takes these small steps every day with its informative public affairs programs.

Few radio stations in Kansas City deal with environment, race, labor, and socio-economic issues the way KKFI does: the station is home to several programs that engage community organizations and individuals on these very questions.

Here are some examples of public affairs programs on KKFI 90.1 FM that contribute alternative views of recognizing problems and presenting solutions:

Tell Somebody, a weekly public affairs program on Tuesday at 6:00 pm, has covered the environmental and health-related problems at the Allied Signal/Bendix/Honeywell plant on Bannister with in-depth interviews with workers and public officials.
Eco Radio KC is the only radio program in Kansas City discussing crucial climate change issues and solutions on a local level. The program was expanded to 60 minutes due to the success of reaching concerned citizens.
For a completely different, yet "in the streets" reporting, nationally-syndicated Democracy Now has covered many national and international news stories, none better to contemplate than this program's coverage of the Arab uprisings.
While major newspapers and TV stations have daily or nightly "business reports" that feature corporate news, locally-produced Heartland Labor Forum offers news from workers perspective. Plus the daily Workers Independent News or WIN segment featured the battle over collective bargaining in Wisconsin from the labor point-of-view.
Three programs -- Urban Connections, Guess Who's Coming to Kansas City, and Native Spirit Radio -- all cover issues dealing with race, unlike you'll hear anywhere else on the radio dial.

These are just a few of the public affairs programs that I encourage you to support. Your financial support of KKFI 90.1 FM, on the air for 22 years, is the reason why the station thrives and grows!

Go to the KKFI web site -- http://kkfi.org -- or call toll-free 888-931-0901 to make a donation!

Matt Quinn

Food Banks Work with USDA on Tornado Relief

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Tue, 31 May 2011 21:55:00 +0000

Food banks traditionally have operated under the premise of providing temporary food assistance to low-income and working poor families. The economic crisis, which started in 2007, caused a significant increase in families and individuals seeking food assistance from job loss and foreclosure. Food pantries served by Harvesters, the Kansas City area food bank, saw a 40% increase in food distribution.

This dire situation has evolved into a chronic condition with as much as 25% of people in communities seeking food assistance from various sources like pantries, soup kitchens, and Food Stamps/SNAP benefits. The economic crisis has shifted the need from extremely poor to working poor people.

If a chronic condition of hunger in the U.S. is not enough to convince people to change their perception of the growing need for food assistance, then a devastating tornado season may help people understand the need for government assistance.

A recent account by a USDA public relations worker shared how public institutions like USDA work with private, non-profit food banks near disaster areas to provide food assistance.

TEFAP and USDA Foods are a big help to food banks and other organizations that play an integral role in disaster recovery. The Northern Alabama Food Bank alone has already distributed just over 58,000 pounds of their existing USDA Foods to disaster congregate feeding sites across the northern part of the state.

The food bank director at one location in West Alabama became visibly emotional when talking to Arnette about all that USDA Foods do for the food banks. In Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., a cafeteria manager explained that her school, which had been set up as a Red Cross shelter and congregate feeding site for the surrounding area, had used USDA Foods from their existing USDA Food Schools/Child Nutrition Program to feed disaster victims a hot meal.

What's troubling is that Jasper County, where Joplin resides, already had a "very high" food uncertainty and poverty level, but without an adequate response from either public or private food assistance outlets, as measured by the 2010 Missouri Hunger Atlas (33 pages, Adobe PDF format).

The small food bank in southwest Missouri was already underequipped to handle the disaster, which is why Harvesters, a food bank located in Kansas City 100 miles north of Joplin, is planning to receive as many as 30 truckloads of food to distribute for disaster relief.

The tornado may very well increase the level of poverty in this area of Missouri, but one homeless group from Kentucky showed how poor people can support each other (see video), along with assistance from public and non-profit sources.

Organizations respond to Missouri tornado disasters

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Thu, 26 May 2011 22:15:00 +0000

From left: Jono Anzalone with FEMA and
Karen Haren, with Harvesters.

A press conference was held at Harvesters food bank in Kansas City on Thursday, May 26, 2011 with Jono Anzalone, Regional Voluntary Agency Liaison with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Margaret Larson, Disaster Services Specialist with the Feeding America, and Karen Haren, president of Harvesters. At least two television stations and a reporter with the Kansas City Star were in attendance.

Anzalone emphasized the importance of working through designated agencies like Harvesters to deliver assistance most effectively. He stated that 6000 people have registered to volunteer at Missouri Southern State University, the Joplin tornado relief coordination site. The influx of concerned people was straining the resources of the very community that was dealing with devastation from the tornado.

He further encouraged people to donate money to organizations designated by the state of Missouri or register their skills at the Show-Me Response website, a site run by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Anzalone underscored the importance of donating money, when possible, because it is a more effective, quicker way to deliver disaster relief. He noted that a 50 cent can of vegetables donated from out-of-state ends up of costing $18 when the cost of transportation and labor is considered.

Larson emphasized the effectiveness of private, non-profit organizations like Harvesters working with public institutions like FEMA to coordinate the collection and distribution of food. She mentioned that six truckloads of food have been gathered for delivery to Joplin through area donations.

Harvesters, acting in concert with Feeding America and FEMA, collected a truckload of bleach and personal hygiene products like shampoo and conditioner. The food bank also delivered 10,000 sack lunches for delivery for relief workers. The lunches included ready-to-eat items like cheese, pudding, tuna, crackers, and apple juiceboxes.

The conference highlighted the importance of a private-public partnership to provide disaster relief and assistance.

Tornado strikes Sedalia, Missouri, family hometown from years past

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Thu, 26 May 2011 16:25:00 +0000

Another Spring season tornado hit in Sedalia, Missouri on May 25, 2011, three days after another tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri. Sedalia is the town where my father and other family members lived going back to the late 1800's. Fortunately the tornado struck south of the city in the less populated part of town.

In an article appearing on the Sedalia Democrat newspaper website, Dave Clippert with the Sedalia-Pettis County Emergency Management Agency shared information about where to go for support and services:

...a reunion center and temporary shelter has been established at the First United Methodist Church Celebration Center, 1701 W. 32nd Street. He said the center would act as a shelter “for the next few days until Red Cross is able to get things put together and help place people in more permanent shelter.”

Here's a map that shows the tornado path and family connections to Sedalia.

View Sedalia Connection in a larger map

One way to help - "mercifully" no friends or family were affected by the Joplin tornado

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Tue, 24 May 2011 21:58:00 +0000

A line snakes down the street as people line up outside
Birmingham's Boutwell Auditorium seeking supplemental
food assistance offered people who suffered losses in
the April 27, 2011, tornadoes in Alabama.
(The Birmingham News/Michelle Campbell)

Today I had several people ask what they could do to help people affected by the Joplin tornado devastation. One person responded that "mercifully" no one he knew lived in Joplin, but he was concerned about providing disaster relief.

Food Relief and Action Center documented two recent cases -- in Alabama and North Dakota -- where victims of storms were provided food assistance through the SNAP/Food Stamps program.

The Alabama case show one example of the quickest way to provide relief is through the government program; a keen way to shared responsibility to disaster relief. 500 county health workers were needed to process SNAP benefit applications, which shows how great the need for basic food assistance is in that area.

About 55,000 Jefferson County, Ala. residents who suffered losses from recent tornadoes received Disaster SNAP/Food Stamps as of May 15. Amanda Rice, director of the county Department of Human Resources, said that 800 people an hour were still coming through her doors, and that the number of participants is likely to increase to more than 60,000 by the final day of the program. Residents taking advantage of the program said they would replace groceries lost during the multiple days they were without power.

Another case in North Dakota documented the response to outreach for Food Stamps/SNAP benefits.

SNAP/Food Stamp recipients in North Dakota’s western counties have until May 27 to report food losses to a county social service office in order to receive SNAP/Food Stamp replacements. The western counties experienced power outages after the April 30 blizzard, and these Disaster SNAP/Food Stamp benefits replace food damaged or destroyed by the outages.

KSPR ABC-33 out of Springfield, Missouri reports that the Missouri Department of Social Services, like in Alabama, is setting up to replace food stamp benefits that people lost in the Joplin tornado. The television station echoed MDSS' notice for where to get assistance.

"The Joplin Children’s Division and Family Support Division office at 601 Commercial is open with staff on hand. Social services staff is also at the Forrest Park Baptist Church shelter and the Greater Ozarks Chapter of the Red Cross shelter at Missouri Southern State College’s Leggett and Platt Athletic Center.

"Families can also visit or call social services offices in nearby counties. The nearest offices to Joplin include:

Neosho County Family Support Division Customer Service Center
201 N. Washington, Neosho, Mo. 64850
(417) 455-5152

Lawrence County Family Support Division Office
1419 East Church St.
Aurora, Mo. 65605
(417) 678-4138

Barton County Family Support Division Office
501 West 13th St.
Lamar, Mo. 64759
(417) 682-3531

"Food stamps are a federally funded assistance program that can only be used to buy food, or plants and seeds that grow food, at stores authorized by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service. Food stamps cannot be used to purchase alcoholic beverages, tobacco, hot foods or foods prepared for immediate consumption - such as fast-food or concessions."

These three cases show that everyone -- both in Missouri and throughout the US -- are helping people that need it the most by providing people with Food Stamps/SNAP benefits.

KC Food Bank Provides Joplin Tornado Disaster Relief

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:24:00 +0000

There is an urgent need for disaster relief for victims of the Joplin tornado that struck Sunday, May 22, resulting over 116 deaths. Currently Harvesters is preparing a delivery of bottled water. Harvesters is working with Feeding America, the national network of food banks, and the Missouri Food Bank Association, both of which focus on disaster relief, when needed. Harvesters food bank in Kansas City works through the state emergency management agency, collecting and distributing food and supplies as requested.

Yes - "Everyone deserves this help"

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Mon, 09 May 2011 21:38:00 +0000

Mary Sanchez, writing for the Kansas City Star on May 4, 2011, highlighted the predicament former Missouri drug convicts face when trying to live outside prison walls.

Missouri is one of nine states where a person can commit murder, rape, aggravated assault, armed robbery, any number of violent crimes and, after serving time, still be allowed food stamps.

But be an ex-felony drug offender? No way. Those folks have a lifetime ban on receiving food stamps.

This item was part of the Missouri legislative session in 2009 when Missouri food assistance advocates visited Jefferson City. Legislators just couldn't do the right thing and remove this burden from people that have paid their time for the crime.

Sanchez makes a good case for allowing former felons to receive the food assistance benefit. Providing the benefit would allow these people to lead a somewhat dignified life as they find employment, housing, and other basic services. She argues that providing access to this essential Federal benefit would reduce high incarceration costs incurred by the state of Missouri by reducing relapses in criminal activity.

I agree with Sanchez by saying not "Yes," but "Hell Yes!" that "everyone deserves this help if they are willing to stay sober."

President Obama visits rebel-controlled territory - El Salvador

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:08:00 +0000

Amidst historic uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, President Barack Obama is on a Latin America tour, including a stop in El Salvador, which elected former rebel leaders to the presidency in 2009. The stopover in El Salvador includes a press conference with President Mauricio Funes and a visit to the tomb of Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar A. Romero. It's amazing that Obama is visiting El Salvador, given the US history of supporting attacks on the Salvadoran people and an armed rebellion that took place between 1977 and 1992.

President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador (left)
with President Barack Obama at a joint
press conference in San Salvador (3/22/11).

During the Carter, Reagan, and Bush Sr. administrations, all methods of US government and military intervention took place across the Central America region, including the direct invasion of Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989. The intervention quashed legitimate rebellions against oppression.

75,000 Salvadorans were killed in the conflict, mostly civilians at the hands of US-sponsored paramilitary death squads. Nicaragua's revolution in 1979, overcoming 40 years of US-supported dictatorship, was greeted with US funding and training of contra terrorists. The terror attacks lead to the deaths of 30,000 Nicaragurans. Honduras became a US military base for contra attacks in Nicaragua. 100,000 Guatemalans were killed during the reign of terror in that country.

That was how the United States dealt with rebellion in one of the poorest regions of the world.

Fast-forward to 2011: President Obama's tour stop in El Salvador is seen as a symbolic move by some observers:

El Salvador may be seen by Obama and his advisors as an example of acceptable political change in the region, based on conflict transformation and democracy building, which could inspire a new kind of alliance between the US and other countries with small economies and huge social problems.

Last but not least, Obama promised changes in all political actions. This visit is an opportunity for him to live up to those promises of change in terms of US foreign policy in Central America, which has had a regretful history of supporting bloody and cruel military dictatorships across the region, as well as being involved in the Iran-Contra affair. [1]

On another level the tour to El Salvador, essentially rebel-controlled territory, represents a bold move by Obama to acknowledge a new reality in geopolitics, especially in light of North African and Mideast rebellions.

Obama will gain credibility for his promises and demonstrate that, as part of a new political style, he is able to transform a longstanding source of tension into a fruitful relationship; a former enemy into a strategic ally. The US government cannot forget the significance of the votes of Salvadoran born citizens and voters with Salvadoran background, plus the increasing number of Salvadoran-born legislators and municipal government officials.

Emblematic and symbolic is the visit that Obama will make to the tomb of Monsignor Romero. Monsignor is now a universal personality for having been killed three decades ago by the Salvadoran political right. [1]

Participants in El Salvador's uprising in the 1970's and 80's were dealt with in a brutal fashion by US-trained and funded paramilitary death squads. The death squads rampaged the cities and countryside, brutally murdering thousands of peasant leaders, teachers, and labor organizers. At the height of abomination, death squads boldly assassinated the top Catholic clergy-person, Archbishop Oscar Romero. US support for the Salvadoran government and military was uninterrupted despite a widespread attacks on faith leaders.

Romero criticized the United States for giving military aid to the new government and wrote to President Jimmy Carter in February 1980, warning that increased US military aid would "undoubtedly sharpen the injustice and the repression inflicted on the organized people, whose struggle has often been for their most basic human rights." Carter, concerned that El Salvador would become "another Nicaragua" ignored Romero's pleas and continued military aid to the Salvadoran government.

According to an audio-recording of the Mass, he was shot while elevating the chalice at the end of the Eucharistic rite. When he was shot, his blood spilled over the altar along with the contents of the chalice. [2]

During a stop in Chile this week, Obama referenced questions about a US-supported coup against elected leaders there in 1973: “Any requests that are made by Chile to obtain more information about the past is something that we will certainly consider and we would like to cooperate. I think it’s important though for us, even as we understand our history and gain clarity about our history, that we’re not trapped by our history.” [3]

----------------
[1] "Obama’s Visit to El Salvador," Peace and Conflict Monitor, http://www.monitor.upeace.org/innerpg.cfm?id_article=787
[2] "Oscar Romero," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero
[3] "Obama lauds Latin American democracies as role models for the Middle East," http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/obama-lauds-latin-american-democracies-defends-libya-action-during-chile-visit/2011/03/21/ABL0RY8_story.html

What Does It Take for Non-Profits and Causes to Be Successful with Social Media?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:22:00 +0000

Class participants at recent Facebook and podcasting Communiversity courses share their struggles with social media. The spirit of Communiversity is for people with knowledge, experience, or skills to share that information with area residents. The real magic for me is to conduct the classes as more participatory than lecture format.

Audio Podcasting Made Simple
The podcasting class included an individual with Independent Filmmaker's Coalition of KC, a self-published author on bargain hunting, a music blogger, a hair stylist, a holistic health advocate with the KC Wellness Guide (kcwellnessguide.com), and a food sovereignity activist.

The people in the class bring a variety of web skills -- from novices to seasoned surfer. This was the third time I taught the class. One thing I've noticed is how many people are active in an artistic endeavor as a musician, writer, or filmmaking -- is everyone an artist?! Each person has an interest in expressing themselves, but many of them are challenged by some of the web-based technology to get their story told. A few highlights of the class:

Audio podcasters must be able to create and manipulate audio files. Some people in the class, even though they took to course to learn the basics, may be not be able to overcome this hurdle. Find a partner to help with this aspect.
Even though the bar on technology is low, audio podcasters need to be familiar with certain tools - blogging is a key because audio is a closer relative to the written word format than video. Podcasters need to leverage a blog in order to market their podcasts.
Non-profits or individuals would be best served by working with a small team to fill gaps like promoting the podcast series or the more technical parts of podcasting.

The main interest in convening the class is to encourage people in non-profit groups or social action causes to use media to tell their story or convey the message of the group's mission or cause. In the words of Clay Shirky it's okay to try and fail with using social media for your non-profit groups.

Facebook for Non-Profits - this stuff takes a fair amount of time
The class on Facebook for Non-Profit Groups was a diverse group, including members of the Friends of Johnson County Library, a regional chapter of ALS Association, Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors, Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, and free-lance marketers.

Class participants conveyed the spectrum of organizational perspectives on social media: fear of losing control of the message, lack of willingness to try out social media, and concern about "quality" of production. Even when an organization chooses to use social media, they struggle with how it works and how to develop a following, engage followers, and build relationships. Most groups or individuals eventually learn an important aspect of effective Facebook networking -- this stuff takes a lot of time to be effective.

The typical approach to non-profits building a large Facebook or Twitter following does not always fit. For instance, communication in health service organizations needs to be more discreet or limited because of the sensitivity or privacy of the information. In the case of these groups, building a large Facebook following may not allows be their top priority. Building a supportive community may be more important, which may require they limit access to the the Facebook space or information.

The Friends of Johnson County Library hold an annual book sale in June as a fundraiser. This event allows them to generate a fair amount of excitement and build a large following. One key to developing a large following for this group is to create updates about library supporters -- in other words, focus on library patrons not always on library events.

How to Use Facebook Pages for Your Non-Profit Group

View more presentations from Matt Quinn

Re-visiting Venezuela on International Women's Day with Yanahir Reyes

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:42:00 +0000

In recognition of International Women's Day, I recall visiting with representatives of a Caracas community radio station, including Yanahir Reyes. Her contribution to educating children through teaching and community radio, as well as her views in support of a revolutionary movement there, underscore the vitality and difficulty of protecting hard-fought gains.

Photo from 2007: Yanahir Reyes, elementary education teacher,
community activist, and radio show host in Caracas, Venezuela.

During a "media and democracy" research trip to Venezuela in 2007, the group I traveled with met with a cross-section of media groups in Venezuela, ranging from large private "opposition" media such as El Nacional newspaper and RCTV to the smaller Tal Cual newspaper and the journalists' association, SNTP. We visited community radio and TV stations, some that started many years ago with a tradition of resistance to repression under past governments. These community stations include: Radio Negro Primero based in the Pinto Salinas barrio, Pernal Radio in the Caricuao neighborhood of 23 de Enero barrio, Calle y Media collective in the La Vega barrio and Catia TV. We met representatives of public-funded ViveTV station and opposition political party Primero Justicia. Along the way we also met with the New York Times reporter Simon Romero, Venezuelan-American Eva Golinger, author of The Chavez Code and venezuelanalysis.com editor Greg Wilpert.

We met with Daniel Fernandez and Yanahir Reyes, an elementary school teacher, at the apartment building in the working class neighborhood where the Radio Perola, a community radio station, is located. The neighborhood consists of a mix of buildings, including a series of the 50-year old apartment buildings, which house approximately 1000 people each.

She discussed how the radio station meets the need of the surrounding community. "We felt for the first time to be able to share information with people not filled by major media," Reyes said. The group first started as a cinema club, showing films with social content. The radio station first started up with a small amplifier and microphone, broadcasting their program over loudspeakers to nearby residents. "Legally, we did not have a license to broadcast," she mentioned.

In 2001 the National Assembly passed a law allowing community radio to have a legal framework. The original draft was modified by CONATEL (National Commission of Telecommunications). The idea was to develop the project in three parts -- social, economic, and technical.

Clockwise from upper left: building where Radio Perola is located,
kids playing outside, computer room, and on-air studio.
Center photo (from left): Yanahir Reyes, Daniel Fernandez.

One of the proposals of the law called for organizers to report the GPS coordinates of the station. "Imagine a community without resources trying to get coordinates!," Fernandez exclaims.

The proposal called for an economic plan for the station, though CONATEL provides equipment to the community without a fee. "We've been working legally for 6 years on 92.3 FM. The idea is to use a summer camp to integrate them with the Simon Rodriguez project. Changing the paradigm of summer camp with ideas of cooperativism, working with the most important part of the community that's been excluded -- children."

"Especially in times like this, we provide an alternative for kids of families where they can't afford vacations," Reyes said. "The idea of the radio is not only about communicating ideas, problems, but with connecting kids, mothers, old people."

"A new model of game with less competition but required more cooperation," Daniel Fernandez mentioned. "Our struggle is not an easy struggle, we have to counter stations that focus on selfishness with togetherness, love. We want to make clear that the movement for community radio started before Chavez, but we're getting support to have radio that's getting to the hearts and minds of people."

Community radio has flourished under this revolutionary government. "We started traveling around the country working with other radio stations, forming ANMCLA (National Association of Alternative and Community Media). Working with campesino groups, community groups."

The station has 62 shows, featuring programs on education, kids, family shows, and music, including salsa, reggae, ska, and rock. Several denominations are represented -- Catholic, Evangelical, and Jehovah, Fernandez mentioned.

Yanahir Reyes has been working for four years at the station. "Community radio is the most important aspect of freedom of speech for my community. We are going to defend this project with our lives. This is our dream, the thing we hoped for in this past."

Reyes discussed a kids program called 'Lulatech': "The community gets integrated with kids. An alternative for kids to get an education. We teach them what a popular education is. The Ministry of Education is a big bureaucracy so we had to create this. We have violence, robbery, and we had to find a way to reduce this. We are working with the community council to solve the problem of violence."

Oil and gas are important to the economy and social programs in Venezuela, but the people are the most important, Reyes says. "We keep the 'door open' for we make a difference between government and people."

"The idea of radio is to tell the truth. The idea of commercial radio is to make the people consume." Reyes points out that most of the people that work at the station live in the community -- a housewife, a cab driver, a lawyer.

She continues her comments by saying: "Of course, it's not easy or short-term. It's not easy being revolutionary in a capitalist country; there are many counter-values. My show is called 'Millenia Mujer.' The foundation of this revolution is women. You know, my show is broadcast in prime-time during novella shows, countering these shows with women's show discussing domestic violence; making them understand the value of women."

25 Years in the Life of a Food Bank

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:43:00 +0000

Harvesters food bank in Kansas City has been around for 30 years now and the organization acknowledged 25 years of service and accomplishments of the president Karen Haren during an all-staff meeting today. Karen attributed the success and growth of the food bank to "staying on mission and the great staff and volunteers."

The ceremony reflected on the increase in food distributed over the 25 years. In 1986, 4 million pounds of food was distributed and $100,000 were raised to purchase food. In 2010, 35 million pounds of food was distributed and $3 million was raised for food purchase. This represents a nine-fold increase in food distributed in and around Kansas City over the 25 years.

The large increase in the numbers of food distributed is bittersweet for most people in the food assistance business because an increase in food distribution means they are provided relief yet the demand still grows. It's a sad commentary on this most wealthiest nation that has so many working people that are not able to sustain themselves without assistance.

What started at Harvesters as a "food rescue" program -- recovering food from restaurants and delivering it to shelters -- has now grown into a sophisticated operation with multiple programs, including several government-sponsored programs, that serve low-income and working people. The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) are two federally-funded programs that feed low-income elderly and women, respectively. Other programs like BackSnack provide food to children at schools where a certain percentage of children are on the Free or Reduced Lunch program. The BackSnack program now feeds 13,000 children at 295 schools in the Harvesters service area across western Missouri and eastern Kansas.

TEFAP is typically "written out of the budget" by some White House administrations, only to have poverty advocacy groups pressure legislators to fund the program each year. Harvesters handles 3000 TEFAP cases, a 100% increase over previous years. Foodlinks America reports that Rep. Harold Rogers, chair of the House Appropriations Committee said: “Our intent is to make deep but manageable cuts in nearly every area of government, leaving no stone unturned and allowing no agency or program to be held sacred.” These proposed cuts include $750 for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and $20 million for CSFP.

If news about Federal budget strains is not enough, Governor Sam Brownback is proposing severe cuts in mental health care in Kansas that can only mean one thing -- more low-income or working people out on the streets with mental health problems, that is, more homeless people that need care.

"In his proposal, community mental health centers, like PACES, which serves children under 18 years old who are dealing with severe emotional and behavior issues, stand to lose more than $10 million in grants. Those grants are used to care for people without insurance or Medicaid." - Action 4 News in Kansas City.

These food assistance and mental health care programs need more public support, not less.

A War on Poor People: Nationwide Radio Broadcast Shines Spotlight on Homelessness in Kansas City

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:08:00 +0000

The story of homelessness in the United States was told through a collection of voices during a 14-hour nation-wide radio broadcast on February 23, 2011. The voices reflected the landscape of conditions that cause someone to become homeless -- mental health, crime, alcohol/substance abuse, domestic violence, job loss, foreclosure, and "bad choices." The 14th annual Homelessness Marathon took place at Hope Faith Ministries on a cold winter night in Kansas City. During the broadcast many questions were asked, including "How can homelessness exist in the wealthiest nation?" Several people offered an answer: poverty and the failure of society to collectively address homelessness and poverty.

On an individual level some cases don't seem to warrant sympathy from the public -- a person who served time for a violent crime or the person who did not live within their financial means -- but the vast numbers of homeless point to a significant societal neglect.

Watch live streaming video from freespeechtv at livestream.com

The radio broadcast provided ample time for individuals to explain their situation, as well as allowed homeless supporters and groups to elaborate their vision for reducing poverty and homelessness. In one especially poignant segment of the broadcast titled "What Makes Homeless People Die?," Dr. Sharon Lee, a medical doctor at the Family Health Care Clinic on Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas, explained her care for low-income families. She chooses to take a $14 wage, comparable to janitors at the clinic, in deference of maintaining services for patients.

During this same broadcast segment, Dr. Jan Gurley, who made a study of homeless mortality, explained the life expectancy of a homeless person on the streets. She said, "Well, believe it or not, it is as bad as someone who's living in Afghanistan or someone who's growing up in the most conflict-riddled, underdeveloped countries in Africa. We're talking average age of death at 46."

From left: Richard Tripp, director of KC organization
Care of Poor People, Inc with Jeremy Alderson
(aka Nobody), director of the Homelessness Marathon

The groups on the broadcast represented homeless shelters, youth and runaway centers, women's shelters, public schools, tent cities, mental health practitioners, police and legal authorities, and homeless advocacy groups. The broadcast's host, Jeremy Alderson, provided an informed dialog, emphasizing the importance of homeless people to organize to provide safety and shelter for themselves.

He challenged listeners to consider increased public funding as a collective response to addressing poverty, noting the immorality of government and nonprofit leaders to not commit more resources towards poverty. It's plain from listening that he has no patience for situations where neglect, repression, or too much deliberation leads to loss of life among the homeless. This impatience was evident in the video segment with the Jim Corwin, Kansas City Missouri police chief, and George Harris, Phd., vice-chair of the Homelessness Task Force of Greater Kansas City.

Watch live streaming video from freespeechtv at livestream.com

Who Cares for Homeless People?
During the broadcast, Hope Faith Ministries stayed open all night and hundreds of poor adults stopped by for a meal or to spend the night. One of the day rooms was converted to a dorm with the placement of a hundred cots. By midnight the room was dark and every cot and open floor space was taken by homeless individuals. I can only imagine the lack of shelter options and deep humility it would take to choose this venue for sleep, not to mention the trust in other dormers for their personal safety.

Rashid, one of the visitors to the center, told his story of homelessness and job insecurity at the microphone to the broadcast audience. As a white Muslim, he told of the difficulty of maintaining a job for various reasons, including the uncomfortableness employers might have with his Arabic-sounding name. Like so many of the people that explained their personal experience that led to homelessness, Rashid had a friendly, relaxed disposition. He took his time to explain to me where to get coffee and where to find restrooms at the facility; he must have been a frequent visitor to the center because he spoke like a staff person.

The center maintains a constant security presence, checking visitors for metal objects as they enter the building. Late in the evening a middle-aged man monitoring the entrance suffered a seizure which caused him to fall and hit his head. One of the broadcast guests bolted through the door in the studio asking if anyone knew CPR. Rashid quickly responded to the man's fall by holding his head up and keeping him safe until paramedics arrived just a few minutes later.

Rashid responded like so many others I know would respond to this situation, reinforcing the common theme of the broadcast that homeless people are no different than anyone else. Another item the situation revealed is that many people that are homeless lack access to preventive medical care, which may explain why the person experienced a seizure - he may have missed a medical checkup or prescription.

Another common theme in comments by callers and hosts alike is how homelessness can persist at this level despite the wealth of the nation. What does it mean to protect vulnerable people in our society? It's clear from news reports about poverty and homelessness that cutbacks in public funding have affected the poor and most vulnerable, like the article in Kansas City on cutbacks in mental health funding. Compassion at an individual or organization level is not lacking, but public investment has significantly decreased over the years. This loss of public investment for mental health and represents a war on poor people.

The Homelessness Marathon is a radio broadcast featuring the stories and voices of homeless people. The purpose of the broadcast is to raise awareness about the causes and solutions to homelessness in the U.S. The 14th annual radio broadcast aired February 23, 2011 at 6:00 pm for 14 hours. The host partners were Hope Faith Ministries, 701 Virginia Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri and Care of Poor People, Inc. The radio broadcast partner was KKFI 90.1 FM in Kansas City. The TV partner was Free Speech TV.

Homelessness in Kansas City - A Crime or Natural Disaster?

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 23:27:00 +0000

Most emergency assistance organizations treat hunger or homelessness as a natural disaster by providing much needed relief to people in need. "It is a tragedy that poverty continues to increase in the United States, now one of the wealthiest nations in the world," stated Rev. Larry Snyder, President, Catholic Charities USA. Yet each organization clearly underscores the need to permanently solve the problem, showing we need to address the problem as if it were a crime, not a natural disaster.

Leading service organizations in Kansas City articulate the central need to eliminate hunger, homelessness, or poverty, not just to relieve the condition. The Homeless Services Coalition works to "eradicate homelessness in our community." reStart, a homeless shelter, focuses on "ending homelessness in our community." Harvesters food bank "feed[s] hungry people today and work[s] to end hunger tomorrow." United Services Community Action Agency's goal is to "eliminate poverty among the people of Jackson, Clay" counties in the area. And Heartland Habitat for Humanity in Kansas City, Kansas "exists to eliminate poverty."

Crime investigations typically look for a motive and a responsible person; they investigate the cause in order to "solve" the crime. In the case of poverty eradication, the work to treat the victim is stellar, yet the focus on identifying the cause and solution sometimes takes a backseat.

Police Raid on Homeless Camp Challenges KC to "Do the Right Thing"
A unbelievably insensitive raid on a small camp where homeless people reside has led to debate about homelessness in Kansas City, coincidentally one month before the Homelessness Marathon, a national live radio broadcast, which will spotlight homelessness here (see below for event details). A series of recent events reveal the attitudes toward and treatment of homeless in Kansas City.

On Thursday, January 13, Kansas City Missouri police officers raided a homeless camp near Paseo and Independence Avenue, less than three blocks from Hope Faith Ministries, the largest day center in Kansas City. The center provides services for 1000 poor and homeless people everyday. An article in the Kansas City Star written by Mike Hendricks documented the police raid.

“They had well-established, long-term, permanent buildings on parks property,” Schulte said. They were felling trees with a chainsaw, digging latrines and lighting campfires to keep warm, the flames fueled by tall stacks of wooden pallets scrounged from nearby businesses.

The next day Jeremy Alderson, founder and director of the Homelessness Marathon, responded to the article, warning about the danger of the raid taking place in the coldest time of year.

There are not enough beds in KC to shelter all of the local homeless people even if they like the conditions in the shelters. Thus the question of whether or not the campers would have been "better off" at the Union Mission or anywhere else is completely irrelevant . By the way, I gave a speech yesterday to the executive committee of the KC Task Force on Homelessness in which I recommended that they find a way to care for ALL of KC's homeless . That is not being done currently, and people are forced to fend for themselves.

Unsheltered homeless people have a shockingly high mortality rate. Bulldozlng an encampment in the middle of winter is a form of life-threatening assault that should be prosecuted not condoned.

It is questionable whether or not the KC police acted lawfully. Fresno, California had to payout a $2.35 million dollar judgment for destroying the property of homeless people in a similar raid on an encampment. I do not know if this issue has been adjudicated yet in the courts in KC , but it is not "open season" on homeless people . Even illegal campers have rights, and there is no indication that the rights of the campers were respected by the police.

There is a broader moral question here . Our Declaration of Independence speaks of the unalienable right to "life." This is something countless American soldiers have died for and countless others have worked, organized and fought for . Should the KC police department be empowered to callously deprive people of the very right that is at the core of our nation's founding, and for no better reason than that maybe somebody complained?

Two members of the raided camp were jailed for 14 days after the incident, which was an insult to their dignity. While these two men were able to get support from Hope Faith Ministries in Kansas City, others were not as fortunate. On February 1 a Kansas City TV news program reported on the freezing death of a man, speculating the man was homeless. Another report documented an earlier death in the cold on December 12, 2010 and another death in Springfield, Missouri on December 27, and another report of the death of a KC homeless man on January 7, 2011.

Mike Hendricks wrote a lengthy follow-up article on February 4 providing a different perspective than his original report. It's likely that several letters sent to Hendricks, including the one written by Jeremy, must have encouraged him to dig deeper into the problem of homelessness in Kansas City. The February 4 article also highlighted the callousness some cities take towards homeless people:

“I can’t say it’s reversed the trend,” said Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, a party to the Fresno case. “If anything, it’s gotten worse. The overall trend is that the criminalization of homelessness continues.”

In San Francisco, it is illegal to sit or lay on the sidewalk. Dallas fines do-gooders who feed the homeless anyplace other than soup kitchens and other designated spots.

The article went on to outline "housing first" efforts in "Denver, New York, Seattle and many other cities are trying this with good results." A subsequent February 8 article by Hendricks and an editorial in the Kansas City Star focused on homelessness in Kansas City and criticized the police raid.

Last week Jeremy Alderson released "Why Not Do The Right Thing?," a white paper on homelessness in the US, which offered frank advice, provided a critique of "ten year plans" and "housing first," challenged the treatment of homeless in the U.S., and suggested formal establishment of tent cities. Most of all, the article is a deeply compassionate appeal on behalf of homeless people to open dialog and urgently act on the issue.

Homelessness Marathon Starts February 23 and Originates from Kansas City

Starting Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 6:00 pm CST the Homelessness Marathon will once again focus on homelessness with a unique approach: handing the microphone over to people that are homeless. The Homelessness Marathon "is an annual 14-hour radio broadcast featuring the voices and stories of homeless people from around the United States The Homelessness Marathon features live call-ins all night long via a national toll-free number."

The theme of this year's broadcast is "Why Not Do the Right Thing" with attention to raising awareness about the causes and solutions to homelessness in the U.S. The radio broadcast starts February 23, 2011 at 6:00 pm Central Standard Time and airs for 14 hours until February 24 at 8:00 am CST. (Note: The marathon is not a fundraiser or running race.)

With the assistance of broadcast partner KKFI 90.1 FM the 14th Annual Homelessness Marathon will originate from Kansas City, Missouri and air on over 100 U.S radio and TV stations. For more information: http://homelessnessmarathon.org

This Wednesday Support "Democracy Now!" on KKFI 90.1 FM

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:32:00 +0000

As a new board member and long-time financial supporter of KKFI 90.1 FM community radio, I am asking you to call into the station to make a donation in support of Democracy Now! on Wednesday, February 9 between 8:00 and 9:00 am Central Time.

People make choices every day on where to get their news and information. And the task of understanding current events is more difficult with the increase in the number of sources. In fact, some people get overwhelmed with tracking stories throught TV, radio, newspaper, websites, email, and new social media sources like Facebook and Twitter. Let's face it: the media landscape has changed irrevocably.

If there's one single source for your news on national and international affairs, then let it be the "Democracy Now" program. What separates this show from other news sources is not only the kinds of stories, but the seriousness of voices that you hear. You'll hear no fluff or trivial stories, though those stories sometimes provide relief from difficult news or tragic events. You'll hear unparalleled reporting on places like the Middle East with interviews and reports from people not heard on any other news source.

Do you need to agree with each news report to understand the importance of Democracy Now? No, but you'll find few sources covering this many important stories and voices. Think about Democracy Now's coverage of Egypt, climate talks in Cancun, WikiLeaks, Arundhati Roy, Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, the BP oil spill, Studs Terkel, Afghani women's activist Malalai Joya, Israeli journalist Amira Hass, Howard Zinn, Alice Walker, and Palestinian-American Rashid Khalidi, to name a few.

Don't forget KKFI's place as a media outlet for community news

Through its locally-produced public affairs programs, KKFI provides an outlet for community organizations -- it provides a voice to those groups serving poor and working people in KC and the surrounding area, it provides a space for individuals and groups to discuss issues and events that focus on the core problems and solutions in the KC metro area. Without community access to KKFI, Kansas City simply would not be the same.

KKFI is what makes me proud to say I'm from Kansas City. And that's why I'm asking friends to support KKFI during their on-air Winter Fund Drive running now through February 13.

Most importantly, for the people I know in the Kansas City area that care about making real, positive change in our community, I'm asking you to support KKFI. Call in your donation at the toll-free number 888-931-0901 on Wednesday, February 9, starting at 8:00 am.

Peace and power,
Matt Quinn

Small Organization with a Big Vision: KC Indian Center

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 20:50:00 +0000

Small nonprofits struggle with maintaining their programs and services on a number of levels, and sometimes the seemingly huge problems, like a broken furnace, remind workers and staff that some problems are easy to solve. The Kansas City Indian Center, until recently named the Heart of America Indian Center, is no different. The organization delivers important social services to clients, yet holds a vision to expand its reach into the Native American community.

On Friday, January 14, 2011, while completing a service project supported by Harvesters food bank in Kansas City, I arrived to learn that their furnace had been replaced after a worker discovered high levels of carbon monoxide. The center was back in stride, not only after a furnace replacement, but also after recent staff turnover. New executive director Steve Jackson took time out of his schedule to describe changes needed to the phone and voice mail systems. The organization recently hired Gayl Edmunds, a new counselor with the Morningstar substance abuse program for Native Americans and Delfina Segura, the new data coordinator. Cheree Solomon, the coordinator of the All Nations Breath of Life smoking cessation program and Ken Forbes, food pantry coordinator are the other staff members that have worked there for a while. The staff needed help changing the phone system to reflect the new staffing, so with my technology background I went to work.The phone system, while outdated, still provided a modern automated phone system like what the center needs.

Steve Jackson (left), Executive Director
of the KC Indian Center, delivering
proclamation to KC City Council.

Steve Jackson was anxious to see the changes made. He kept surprising me with his humor, like when I asked him not to answer the phone while I tested dialing his number. He replied something like "okay, I'll answer the phone on the first ring when you call." My service work took place on the first day the center was open after the furnace repair and three days of weather-related closings. Despite the closings people from the neighborhood dropped in to step out of the cold, and people called and dropped in asking about food and emergency assistance. Staff were always respectful and courteous when reminding people about how the center's food pantry worked.

Ken Forbes gave me a tour of the facility, showing me the pantry and explaining the programs and partnerships the center uses to maintain food assistance for Indians, as well as for neighborhood residents.

Aside from the substance abuse, smoking cessation, utility, and food assistance programs the center has a summer youth program and offers free tax services. The Blue Buffalo Trading Post, which is operated by Nancy Blue, offers books, artwork and crafts by Native American artists.

The center located at 39th and Pennsylvania in Kansas City struggles to reach Native Americans in the KC area, but knows there are a lot of people needing assistance. More importantly, the center's vision includes expanding their cultural and arts programs, especially with a youth focus. This vision was shared by Steve Jackson when he explained at an open house held on November 1, 2010 (see photos) how the center's goals are to empower Native Americans, including to provide a place for Indians to connect and share stories and knowledge, and learn native languages.

How to join a "citizen dialog" on homelessness in the Kansas City area

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:28:00 +0000

Jeremy Alderson, director of the national Homelessness Marathon, participated in a community dinner on Saturday, January 16 to share information about a radio broadcast on homelessness at KKFI studios. The purpose of the event was to bring people together to build support for the annual radio show broadcast to 100 radio stations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Alderson remarked how homelessness and poverty are likely to increase despite the heightened focus to these issues during the 14-hour national radio broadcast. He stressed the importance of people working together to end homelessness. Like the suffrage and civil rights movements, sometimes the way forward is attacked, Alderson added, but still calls for people to keep working.

Jeff Humfeld, coordinator of the Homelessness Marathon broadcast on KKFI 90.1 FM, described Listening Rooms as a way to begin "citizen dialog" on the issue, a way to engage community members in understanding and working on homelessness and housing. Here's some information on how groups can set up Listening Rooms.

Civic Groups, Churches, Shelters, Food Pantries, Neighborhood Associations and Agencies hold Listening Rooms during part or all of the Homelessness Marathon broadcast. Invite your local and state representatives, your members, donors, local media, clients, staff and neighbors. Your gathering can discuss what you are hearing on the broadcast, call the toll free number to comment on air during the broadcast and decide among yourselves what you or your group are going to do in the next year to affect this problem.

Van used to transport people that are homeless in KC.

Kar Woo with Artists Helping the Homeless described his nonprofit's focus on filling a niche service for homeless people in Kansas City at the dinner. The group provides transportation services for homeless people, as well as operates a shelter for people that need a temporary place to stay while waiting for services. He mentioned how the shelter provides a place for five youth that are not eligible for housing through other programs. The shelter also provides an option to stay off the streets for those waiting to enter detox programs.

To hear more from Jeremy Alderson, director of the Homelessness Marathon, tune into "Tell Somebody" on KKFI 90.1 FM on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 6:00 pm Central Time. You can listen live from your computer by going to http://www.kkfi.org

3 Books on Food from 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Quinn) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Grist.org's food section asked 20 or so notable people to share their favorite books from 2010. The articled pointed out that:

Two brand-new books did stand out for a number of our folks: Paul Greenberg's ultimately hopeful lament for the troubled oceans, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food; and Jan Poppendick's Free for All: Fixing School Food in America, a rigorous, highly charged history of public school lunches. Both are very much books of the moment.

My list includes no books that were published in 2010, but those that I read during the year.

The Food Wars (Verso 2009) by Walden Bello is a wide critique of the food industry's profit motives throughout the world. It's a heavyweight that weighs in at 149 pages. He sets up and debunks common myths, such as the causes of the "food crisis" of 2006-2008, benefits of the "green revolution," as well as taking readers on a history of how monetary policy and trade agreements have impacted small farmers and labor. The book highlights more recent trends, such as GMO seeds and foods. Most of all, he positions capitalist industrial agriculture against peasant farm/labor movements. He has chapters focusing on small farmers in Mexico, Philippines, Africa, and China, as well as a chapter on agrofuels.

Over twenty-five years after the beginning of structural adjustment in the early '80s, Mexico is in a state of acute food insecurity, permanent economic crisis, political instability, and uncontrolled criminal activity. It may not yet be a "failed state," to use the fashionable term, but it is close to becoming one. It is exhibit A in the case against neoliberalism.

The last chapter focuses on a way out by describing life-affirming trends in agriculture, as well as highlighting movement organizations and individuals, such as Via Campesina and Brazil's Landless Workers' Movement (MST). Bello also links traditional rural farming movements with newer urban ag by pointing out how "the emergence of urban agriculture in many parts of the world signals the emergence of new numbers of (part-time) peasants and a simultaneous spatial shift of the peasantry from the countryside toward the big metropolises of the world."

Food and Behavior: A Natural Connection (2004) by Barbara Reed Stitt was noteworthy because it covered the physiology and sociology of dietary habits. The book was a solid argument devoted to improving the quality of life by changing our food intake. Through her career as a probation officer the author argues that changing diets reduced crime and violent behavior by children and young adults.

If the child is allowed...to indulge in processed foods, junk foods, refined sugar, cola or coffee, cigarettes or alcohol, then that child will continue those habits after leaving home, and will in all probability join the welling ranks of the victims of heart disease, diabetes, hypoglycemia, cancer, psychosis and schizophrenia which clog our nation's hospitals and prisons. If, on the other hand, the child is taught to value and enjoy whole, fresh fruits and vegetables and learns to associate what he or she eats to how he or she feels, then that child will almost certainly grow up to be a healthy, happy, fully functioning adult.

Nick Reding's Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town 2009 book reported on the stories of several meth users, as well as, the impact on rural towns through the stories of law and health practitioners in Olewein, Iowa. The book is especially relevant for those of us living in the Midwest, more specifically in Missouri and Iowa, where the spotlight of national news media shone: it's a fascinating report on the history, science, and sociology of methamphetamine use.

The book takes the reader on an unexpected trail by outlining three economic trends in the U.S. meth epidemic: Big Agriculture, Big Pharma, and the Mexican drug trade. He lays it out plain: pharmaceutical companies opposed anti-meth bills for 30 years, allowing the illegal meth drug manufacturing to morph from mom-and-pop operations to large-scale labs. Multinational food corporations have changed the landscape of farming, making it nearly impossible to maintain a comfortable quality of life on the farm or meatpacking plant, thus the unique place of meth as a "vocational" drug. Mexican drug traffickers took over the entire meth production and distribution after mom-and-pop meth labs were finally closed.

By 2006, it was clear that the Combat Meth Act would require two things in order for it to work. First, the Mexican government would have to stand up to the DTOs by making it more difficult for them to import bulk pseudoephedrine. Second, the U.S. government would have to stand up to Big Ag and Big Phanna by forcing the former to curtail its employment of illegals and the latter to make cold medicine from something other than pseudoephedrine.

The book is a must for those studying how large corporations have changed our society. Most of all, it's still relevant. Where meth use and trafficking have disappeared from headlines, lab busts have skyrocketed in Missouri in 2009.