Hungry in America? It doesn't have to be that way....

[Ty Mellon]

We have all been impacted one way or another by the Winter snow that has covered the US. Some areas have seen more than others. Many places have had school closings with consequences that most of us wouldn't anticipate: Hungry Students. I am fortunate that my skill set, work ethic and educational opportunities have afforded my kids and me a place to live where hunger is not a concern. So perhaps I was being naive when I was surprised by the following story about kids going hungry due to the school closings.

Take a look at the following link to the article titled: "String of snow days deprives many students of food"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213/ap_on_re_us/us_winter_weather_h...;

It is unbelievable in this day and age that in the United States of America, we have children going hungry when schools are closed. Read the article for yourself and draw whatever opinions you will about the story. There are a couple of undeniable facts that we must acknowledge:

1 - Schools are the ONLY source of food for a large portion of the United States' children (and families).

2 - We as a population are so removed from our food source that many of us have no way to sustain ourselves and provide for our families, should our "food supply" (the stores, markets and food banks) get discontinued. "That will never happen" many people say. I say it just did, and will continue to.

At first I (rightly) had concern, and I still do, but as I read the note, I realized that NONE of this is necessary and my concern seems to be growing into indignation. As you know, we at FOOGS encourage backyard and patio gardening and trade of all resulting produce among neighbors and restaurants in communities. The fact of the matter is, there are MANY innovative ways to use space to grow healthy, organic food. That it is available to ALL of us trumps the secondary beneficial reality that homegrown food is free of fillers and additives that contribute to the obesity and illness epidemics sweeping this nation and (more slowly) the world.

An issue here is that people don't know how to garden and grow their own food. The larger issue in my opinion is WHY that is the case. There are SO many people in the United States who have ZERO connection to their food source. We believe, as a collective nation, that food comes in trucks and attractive packaging with catchy names and pictures of idyllic farms and cartoon mascots. This is all attractive from a marketing perspective, but we are GENERATIONS removed from being able to sustain ourselves and all the catchy marketing in the world isn't addressing this issue. It is time to start fending for ourselves and for each other. This is why FOOGS works with educational entities such as Citizen Gardener and others. Additionally, through our church and k-12 programs, we will target not only the entities themselves, but empower them to go educate others in their communities.

No one should go hungry when there are ample opportunities to GROW against hunger. Join us in spreading the message of self-sustenance and empowerment.

Ty Mellon

CEO & Founder

FOOGS.org - For Our Own Goods

[Norma Dawn]

Way to go! It is said, "Feed a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to fish (and GARDEN) and he eats for a lifetime. I was introduced to youR site by my daughter, Angelique @ Green Builders. She is correct is saying we have been gardeners for generations. My parents lived in Aroostook County in northern Maine and they started their garden during the depression and WWII. I learned a lot from them, like you shouldn't plant the same vegetable in the same place, you need to rotate your rows to help keep the nutrients in the soil. Keep up the good work and blessings on your endeavors. NormaDawn

[Green Builders Source Angelique]

Ty, I am so glad we met last week. I just recommended your site to a huge Green leader down here (Stephanie Edwards Musa) an awesome Green Leader and Real Estate Agent! She owns www.TurningHoustonGreen.com. I totally agree with your post! My family has been gardeners for generations and I lost touch. My dad went so far as to keep bees to encourage the circle of life at his garden! I grew up snapping beans, shelling peas, husking corn, and spinning honeycomb to extract the honey! Amazing memories! We owe it to the next generation! Thanks for starting this site! I've sent your info also to our local Green enthusiasts so you might get requests for some "help" down this way. Angelique Grado - Green Builders Source, The Woodlands TX.