Sustenance for body and community
by Anna Oakes
As an ailing economy continued to hobble, High Country
charities last year saw more hands than ever reaching forward to ask for food.
Beginning in March, a new yearlong project aims to educate participants about the issues of food security and ways to help address hunger while cultivating a commitment to the common good of our community.
The project, called “Food Security in the High Country: Compassion Comes to the Table,” is a collaboration between the Watauga Public Library, the Appalachian State University Office of Sustainability, the Appalachian Humanities Council and F.A.R.M. Cafè, a new pay-as-you-can restaurant opening in Boone this year.
Reading groups, film screenings, workshops, tours and volunteer opportunities will take place throughout the year, with most events located at the library. All events are free and open to the public.
“The most important thing we want to do is we want to raise understanding in our area about the nature of hunger in our region,” said Chris Osmond, an ASU education professor and member of the Appalachian Humanities Council. That includes challenging stereotypes about who is hungry and who is in poverty, Osmond said.
The project is supported by a $2,500 Building Common Ground grant from the American Library Association and the Fetzer Institute. Thirty libraries across the nation received this grant to engage the public in contemplation and discussion of the importance of community, civility and compassion in their daily lives.
“One of the main objectives of the Fetzer grant was to support the public library as a site for people in the community to connect,” Osmond said. “We've got a vibrant university community and a vibrant town community, and this project would be a great way to connect those communities at the public library.”
ASU faculty and Watauga Public Library staff will lead group discussions of three books: “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life” by Karen Armstrong; “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and my Journey from Homeless to Harvard” by Liz Murray; and “All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?” by Joel Berg.
In April, participants will view a screening of “Foodstamped,” a documentary film following a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget.
Elkland Art Center will lead a day of sustainable art making to correspond with Earth Day. Teach-ins, trainings and tours will take place at F.A.R.M. (Feed All Regardless of Means) Cafe, which is opening on King Street in the spring. The restaurant will offer healthy meals, and patrons may pay what they can afford or volunteer in exchange for their food.
“It's a great model of finding a way to address hunger in our area. It's not a soup kitchen, and it's not a traditional restaurant,” Osmond said.
The series culminates with a community service fair in November, when local food security, sustainability and hunger organizations will help attendees learn about opportunities to volunteer.
“It's just very exciting to have these programs and to be part of such an important discussion,” said Monica Caruso, county librarian at Watauga Public Library, noting that contributing to the sense of community and economic wellbeing is part of the library's mission.
“I think a lot of people know about (food insecurity), but they may not know what they could do or how they can help,” Caruso said. “In the end, there could be some potential change in people's perceptions and more action.”
The Watauga Public Library is located at 140 Queen Street in downtown Boone. For more information, call (828) 264-8784 or (828) 262-7754 or email (osmond@appstate.edu) For a detailed list of events, click to http://www.wataugacountylibrary.com .
Beginning in March, a new yearlong project aims to educate participants about the issues of food security and ways to help address hunger while cultivating a commitment to the common good of our community.
The project, called “Food Security in the High Country: Compassion Comes to the Table,” is a collaboration between the Watauga Public Library, the Appalachian State University Office of Sustainability, the Appalachian Humanities Council and F.A.R.M. Cafè, a new pay-as-you-can restaurant opening in Boone this year.
Reading groups, film screenings, workshops, tours and volunteer opportunities will take place throughout the year, with most events located at the library. All events are free and open to the public.
“The most important thing we want to do is we want to raise understanding in our area about the nature of hunger in our region,” said Chris Osmond, an ASU education professor and member of the Appalachian Humanities Council. That includes challenging stereotypes about who is hungry and who is in poverty, Osmond said.
The project is supported by a $2,500 Building Common Ground grant from the American Library Association and the Fetzer Institute. Thirty libraries across the nation received this grant to engage the public in contemplation and discussion of the importance of community, civility and compassion in their daily lives.
“One of the main objectives of the Fetzer grant was to support the public library as a site for people in the community to connect,” Osmond said. “We've got a vibrant university community and a vibrant town community, and this project would be a great way to connect those communities at the public library.”
ASU faculty and Watauga Public Library staff will lead group discussions of three books: “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life” by Karen Armstrong; “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and my Journey from Homeless to Harvard” by Liz Murray; and “All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?” by Joel Berg.
In April, participants will view a screening of “Foodstamped,” a documentary film following a couple as they attempt to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet on a food stamp budget.
Elkland Art Center will lead a day of sustainable art making to correspond with Earth Day. Teach-ins, trainings and tours will take place at F.A.R.M. (Feed All Regardless of Means) Cafe, which is opening on King Street in the spring. The restaurant will offer healthy meals, and patrons may pay what they can afford or volunteer in exchange for their food.
“It's a great model of finding a way to address hunger in our area. It's not a soup kitchen, and it's not a traditional restaurant,” Osmond said.
The series culminates with a community service fair in November, when local food security, sustainability and hunger organizations will help attendees learn about opportunities to volunteer.
“It's just very exciting to have these programs and to be part of such an important discussion,” said Monica Caruso, county librarian at Watauga Public Library, noting that contributing to the sense of community and economic wellbeing is part of the library's mission.
“I think a lot of people know about (food insecurity), but they may not know what they could do or how they can help,” Caruso said. “In the end, there could be some potential change in people's perceptions and more action.”
The Watauga Public Library is located at 140 Queen Street in downtown Boone. For more information, call (828) 264-8784 or (828) 262-7754 or email (osmond@appstate.edu) For a detailed list of events, click to http://www.wataugacountylibrary.com .