Above: 30th Class Hunger Fellow John Hoang (left) with supervisor Devin Schroeder, Senior Manager of Programs, Hunger Free Oklahoma. “It is terribly inhumane to block pathways out of poverty and oppressive debt because you didn’t need or have those pathways.” … Read more
Announcing 31st Class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows
The Hunger Center is pleased to announce the members of the 31st Class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows, who will serve in seven states and the District of Columbia from September, 2024 to July, 2025. These 14 passionate leaders … Read more
Life Lessons and Silent Beauty: Fighting Hunger in South Dakota
Above: 30th Class Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow Nicholas French in South Dakota. I am a child of Southfield and Detroit, Michigan—the heart of the rust belt, and home to some of the largest Black communities in the Midwest. Though … Read more
Small Beginnings Have the Potential to Transform: Anti-Hunger Policy in Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Above: 29th Class Emerson Fellow Aliyah Fard. Environmental justice courses throughout my undergraduate career introduced me to one of my favorite environmentalists, Dr. Vandana Shiva, who says “seed is the source of life and the first link in our food … Read more
Not Just Numbers in a Dataset: Evaluating Food Pantry Programs in Knoxville
Above: Landy Lin, 29th Class Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, outside Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. I, like many of the other Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows, was anxiously counting down the days until September 7th, the first day of … Read more
Towards a More Equitable Society: Anti-Hunger Advocacy in Baltimore
Above: Maryam Taysir, 29th Class Emerson National Hunger Fellow, in Washington, D.C. It’s almost midnight in Nablus, Palestine where I was visiting for the summer. I’m sitting with my family when, after months of anticipation, I get the news. “I’m … Read more
Understanding the Impact of CalFresh Application Assistance: Race, Ethnicity, and Data at UC Irvine
Above: 29th Class Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow Rajitmeet Singh at the UCI Basic Needs Center in Irvine, California I have a different perspective on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as I grew up on the other end of … Read more
Autonomy, Knowledge, Community: Food Justice and Group Home Living in Massachusetts
Above: Hayleigh Rockenback, 29th Class Emerson National Hunger Fellow, at the Massachusetts State House. Working in the anti-hunger space was something I have always been drawn to. For multiple summers prior to college I would stay at my aunt’s home … Read more
Emerson Fellows Bring Community Experience to National Hunger Policy
The Hunger Center is pleased to announce the policy placements for the 30th Class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows. From February to July, 2024, fellows will be placed with 12 different host organizations, mostly located in Washington, D.C. Their … Read more
Join us for the State of U.S. Hunger 2024
A briefing on the State of U.S. Hunger featuring field work presentations from the 30th Class of Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellows was held online on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 from 10:00 a.m EST to 3:00 p.m EST. The presentations … Read more
Communications, Teaching, and DEI: Three Perspectives on Food Security in Miami
Above: Allison Bunyan, 29th Class Emerson National Hunger Fellow. I applied for the Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship in order to learn how I could enter the anti-hunger field with thought and care. I wanted to better understand the root … Read more
Bridging the Gap: Improving Access to Nutritious Food for Children with USDA
Above: Raneem Karboji, 29th Class Emerson Hunger Fellow, at the Tidal Basin in Southwest Washington, D.C., in May, 2023. Growing up in El Paso, Texas, I witnessed firsthand the struggles of hunger and poverty that many women and children in … Read more