Hunger Awareness - From left are Lt. Anthony Bowers of the Salvation Army, Bruce Hestad, Former Ambassador Tony Hall and long-time friend and prayer partner John Nakamura. Hall and Nakamura came to Watertown last week to help kick off the Hunger Free Codington County effort.
Mission Begins:
Group Aims to Make Codington County Hunger Free By 2013
When we think of "the hungry," pictures of children in a third world country may come to mind. Many of us learned last weekend that there are hungry children and families a lot closer to home. The good news is that there is a community-wide effort in the works to create a hunger-free Codington County.
Former Ambassador Tony Hall kicked off the effort in a public forum last Saturday organized by Bruce Hestad, the Watertown Community Foundation, Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce, and Watertown Area United Way in conjunction with The Salvation Army.
Hall is known for his work in stopping hunger both in the United States and internationally, and he has been nominated three times for the Nobel Peace Prize for these efforts. He told an audience of nearly 80 Watertown area residents about the programs he led in Dayton, OH, to fight hunger.
Hall elaborated about what worked and what didn't in hopes of giving Watertown a good headstart in the local effort. First, there needs to be an awareness that hunger exists here to bring about the change. "Indifference is as bad as hate," he said. "That means you don't care."
But he knew that within the walls of the forum, indifference wasn't the case. Hall and other local speakers commented that they knew they were "preaching to the choir." An impressive choir it was: Beyond the Foundation, Chamber, United Way and Salvation Army, also represented were the Mayor and City Council, Codington County Commissioners, Watertown School District, many churches, Mother of God Monastery, and many more. This coming together thoroughly impressed the event's organizers as they know it will be an ongoing key in making Codington County hunger-free.
The former ambassador went on to present staggering national statistics, and then the statistics became someone we may know.
Ten percent of our population is hungry, said Lt. Anthony Bowers of The Salvation Army in Watertown. Paula Davis, a Watertown School District social worker, echoed his remarks. "Many children get their daily three meals through the Boys and Girls Club and the school during the week," she said. What do they do on the weekends and during the summer?
Both Lt. Bowers and Davis believe that not everyone is being reached and some of those who are, aren't getting enough food and support.
"I don't think The Salvation Army reaches everyone," said Bowers. "We need more food and more volunteers."
"There are proud families who won't ask," added Davis.
Hall recalled his days in Ethiopia with Mother Theresa when it was impossible to help everyone. "There were thousands waiting and we could only save five or six. The mass died."
But Watertown has the opportunity to help its mass. In doing so, don't lose focus, he said, quoting Mother Theresa, "' Do the thing that is in front of you.'" Leadership is important as is being a team player. Don't have a church on every corner doing its own thing. "It can be done. It takes people with passion and it takes working together. As these people meet, you'll begin to see a plan."
Currently, those meetings are every Monday at 8 a.m. at the Goss. For more information, please contact Hestad at 886-9748; cell: 520-3010.
