Written by Lisa Holderness Brown
One in five Iowan children do not have enough to eat. The number of people around the globe will go hungry tonight? 870 million. The annual cost of food waste in the United States? About $100 billion. Attend the annual Iowa Hunger Summit on Oct. 15—which is the kickoff event to World Food Prize week—and learn how you can be a player in alleviating hunger. It’s free and everyone is welcome.
In 2012, the seventh-graders from St. Augustin Catholic School attended the daylong summit, which taught them the need for proper nutrition. As a result, they helped collect 123 bags of food for the Boys and Girls Club of Iowa and jars of peanut butter and monetary donations for the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC). The students also did projects on 10 of the previous World Food Prize laureates in order to understand the research that is involved to feed a world population of 7 billion. This is what the Iowa Hunger Summit is all about: uniting Iowans in the fight against hunger and poverty and celebrating their successes. It’s also a worthy opportunity for networking and finding ways to get involved.
For Diana Sickles, a Des Moines hunger activist and member of the international networking group Coalition in Support of Hungry Children, the summit helped spur her work in hunger. “The Iowa Hunger Summit provides me an opportunity to exhibit for the Coalition, enjoy the luncheon and the luncheon speaker, and learn from all the presenters and breakout sessions,” she says. “It is a great, energizing way to spend a day.”
Last year, about 600 people attended the summit. If it piques your interest but you need a nudge to commit, here’s an insider’s view of what to expect:
Getting There
The event takes place at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. This year is the seventh annual Iowa Hunger Summit, and though it’s free and open to the public, organizers ask that you register at iowahungersummit.org for planning purposes. Attire is business-casual or casual. While children are welcome, the day’s activities are geared toward an adult audience.
Morning Activities
Coffee and networking start the day off in the atrium at the top of the elevators at the Marriott. A good place to begin is the 20-plus exhibits, representing hunger organizations such as Food Bank of Iowa, Table to Table, Bread for the World and Thousanddays.org. Whether you’re looking to get involved or want to brainstorm ideas, these exhibitors are happy to talk and share informational handouts for their causes.
The morning is filled with themed panel discussions and speakers, with former ambassador Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, making the opening remarks. He has a talent for making everyone settle in and feel welcome. Attendees can come and go between sessions, so if you can’t make it for the entire morning, join in when you can. Last year’s presentations included an eye-opening talk and call to action on senior hunger in America by Jo Ann Jenkins, president of the AARP Foundation.
Hunger Luncheon
The day’s biggest draw is a complimentary “hunger luncheon,” which, depending on what you’re served, could be dubbed the “still-hungry luncheon.” All of the meals served are used by Iowa-based organizations in food assistance and hunger-relief efforts in Iowa and abroad. Your lunch might be as bountiful as meatloaf, baked potato, bean salad, mandarin oranges, wheat bread and milk from the Iowa Department of Aging, or as fleeting as a cup of fortified rice and beans from Outreach Inc. The food is a conversation starter, too, with some tables swapping and sharing dishes.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and chief executive officer of Mary’s Meals, a global program that provides daily meals to chronically hungry children. The meals are distributed at schools in some of the world’s poorest communities, where hunger and poverty prevent children from getting an education. Established in 2002, Mary’s Meals today feeds more than 750,000 children every school day in 16 countries.
Afternoon Wrap-up
If you only have an hour or two, the luncheon is the event to choose, but stick around for the afternoon and you’ll be rewarded with a series of interactive small-group workshops on topics of interest to Iowa hunger fighters. An example is a past workshop on how to start a community garden, which included a discussion on water and land issues. The workshops are followed by a late afternoon reception with refreshments and more time for networking, wrapping up around 4 p.m.
Although this annual event is for learning and making connections, the World Food Prize Foundation and the nonprofit hunger organizations involved in the Iowa Hunger Summit hope that it will inspire you into action, as it did for the seventh-graders at St. Augustin’s and many other past attendees. The foundation also invites you to attend other World Food Prize activities that are open to the public.
The World Food Prize
Each October, the prestigious World Food Prize brings issues of world hunger and food security to Des Moines. In its 27th year, this annual award is given to a laureate who has positively affected human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food globally. It was envisioned by Iowa native and Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug and brought to Des Moines in 1990 when John Ruan decided to sponsor it. This year’s prize winners are biotechnology scientists Marc Van Montagu, Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert Fraley.
More than 1,000 people from 65-plus countries trek to our city to attend the award ceremony and a weeklong series of speakers, workshops and events, where they exchange ideas and strategize how to rid the globe of hunger. Government dignitaries, including United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Kofi Annan, and Princess Haya bint Al Hussein of Dubai, as well as high-powered business leaders such as Bill Gates and Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman of Nestlé SA, interact with farmers, students, volunteers and leaders of nonprofit organizations. Some events are open to the public, and the laureate award ceremony, held at the Iowa State Capitol, is broadcast live on Iowa Public Television and via webcast from the Capitol.
More Ways to Experience the
World Food Prize
For more information and to register for events, go to worldfoodprize.org.
The Norman E. Borlaug International Symposium (known as the Borlaug Dialogue): Iowans get a special rate ($295, compared with $525 for others) for this intensive three-day symposium on hunger, which follows the Iowa Hunger Summit. Expect to learn from some of the top minds and global leaders in agriculture and food. The 2013 dates are Oct. 16-18.
Laureate Lectures: Past laureates and special guests will speak at free public lectures at colleges, universities and other spots around the state during World Food Prize week.
Volunteering: The World Food Prize Foundation seeks volunteers to help with World Food Prize events and to become year-round docents at the Hall of Laureates. Email volunteers@worldfoodprize.org or call 245.3783.
Visiting the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates: Guided tours of this magnificent building (100 Locust St.) are offered Tuesdays and self-guided tours are Saturday mornings. Both are free; check the website for hours.
The World Food Prize Global Youth Institute: Each year, more than 100 high school students from the United States and other countries are selected to participate in a three-day program during the World Food Prize week.
