Andover can help fight world hunger
Editor, Townsman:
In the past year the number of people suffering from hunger has risen to over 1 billion worldwide. This humanitarian crisis is unfolding in countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen and Somalia. Many of these countries are recovering from conflict or natural disasters. Without proper food supply such reconstruction is not possible. We know this from our history in helping Europe recover from World War II.
There is a lot people in Andover can do to take action to alleviate global hunger today. One of the simplest is just making a phone call or writing a letter to your representatives in Congress asking them to make global hunger a top foreign policy priority. You can ask them to support H.R. 2817, legislation in Congress called the Roadmap to End Global Hunger. Another initiative in need of support is the McGovern-Dole Global School Lunch Program.
The Friends of the World Food Program is starting a Massachusetts committee to raise awareness about global hunger. Someone from Andover could become a committee leader for the entire state, or volunteer. The Friends also have a blog where you can write about events you may already have underway in your school or workplace aimed at fighting global hunger.
William Lambers
Cincinnati, Ohio
Editor's note: The writer grew up in Andover and is the author of "Ending World Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World."
