Drew Slager

Guest Writer

Although attendees of Wednesday's forum on Hunger in West Michigan filed into the Common's Lecture Hall, greeted with cookies, fruit, and free Pepsi products, they were there to eradicate misconceptions of hunger.

``Reframing the Hunger Question,'' organized by Calvin's Center for Social Research, Michigan State University, and the Food Bank Council of West Michigan, hoped to dispel myths about hunger. Many attending were surprised to learn that West Michigan's hunger statistics virtually parrellel those on the east side of the state.

This information was provided by a 2001 survey by America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest organization of emergency food providers. The national survey included 32,000 in-person interviews and 24,000 questionnaires completed by local food providers.

According to the survey, hunger affects a great variety of people, and the assumptions many hold about the problem are false.

``What do you think about first when you think of hunger?'' asked Gail Heffner of the Center for Social Research.

Attendees mentioned downtown soup kitchens and abject poverty.

``People tend to think of hunger as a problem for only the homeless and jobless,'' said Professor Julie Walton of Calvin's HPERDS Dept. ``I go to a suburban CRC church and we have 13 member families that depend on our food pantry.''

``One of our goals,'' said Dr. Kimberley Chung of MSU ``is to show the diversity of those in need. Thirty-seven percent of those households receiving aid have at least one working adult.

``Approximately 54 percent of West Michigan clients are white, 37 percent are African American, five percent are Hispanic, and the rest from other ethnic groups,'' she said.

Another surprising fact that Chung cited was the that ``only 41 percent of client households receive Food Stamp benefits although many more are eligible.''

The forum stressed the need to raise awareness among relief agencies and those in need about different avenues of support.

Natasha Gill of the Fremont National Center for Charitable Statistics, cited the need for networking among organizations.

``Faith community networks tend to operate independently,'' she said. ``Those in need would benefit if both the church pantries and relief agencies like ACCESS or Love Incorporated were aware of each other and could make referrals to the most convenient source of aid.''

Chung also noted that those in need are faced with decisions that most Calvin students never have to consider. Many are forced to choose between food costs and utilities and heating fuel, rent or mortgage payments, and medical costs.

Gail Heffner of the Center for Social Research attempted to bring the problem home when she asked the audience where they would turn if they found themselves without the means to provide their next meal. Among the answers were family, church, and local pantries and kitchens. Very few mentioned government sources, and, similarly, only eighteen percent of national respondents reported government as a primary avenue of support.

This raised questions about of the effectiveness of government safety nets and the importance of alternatives. Many audience members raised the question of the living wage.

The federal poverty line for a single parent with one child is $13, 274. If that single parent works full time at minimum wage, their maximum yearly income is $10,712. The idea of living wage proposes that minimum wage be raised to keep workers above the poverty line.

Although a frequently proposed solution to poverty -- raising the minimum wage -- presents many problems, according to Dr. Adel Abadeer of the Economics Department. He warns that raising the federal minimum would force even more manufacturers to relocate overseas.

Besides, much of the minimum wage workforce is made up of middle-class teenagers, not adults with families, he said.

``Raising the minimum wage should be seen as a last resort after all other resources have been exhausted. There are many mechanisms for relieving poverty already in place,'' he said.

Heffner concluded the forum with a call to personal action. Audience members discussed measures such as encouraging restaurants to donate extra food to food banks, using media to spread awareness, volunteering, donating and participating in the May 5 Hunger Walk. All audience members received contracts titled, ``My Personal Commitment to Fight Hunger,'' as they left, leaving plates of uneaten cookies behind.