ALLIANCE MEMBERS HIGHLIGHTED IN NATIONAL GATHERING OF UNIVERSITY HUNGER LEADERS

In February 2008, the Alliance to End Hunger co-hosted the Third Annual University Hunger Summit in conjunction with the Center for Global Health at The George Washington University and the Auburn University College of Human Sciences.  The University Hunger Summit is a component of Universities Fighting World Hunger (UFWH) and is designed to mobilize universities to fight world hunger and malnutrition through a grassroots student movement, scholarly service and institutional change.

The Summit brought together university faculty, administrators and students from two dozen universities and colleges with hunger advocates from international organizations, private industry, government and academia to discuss hunger policy, programming, advocacy and curricula.  Alliance members who participated included: 

Max Finberg, Alliance Director, and Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of WFP, enjoy a Green Mountain Coffee Roasters break.

• Bread for the World
• Campus Kitchens Project
• Colorado State University, College of Agricultural Sciences
• Friends of the World Food Program
• David Lambert, Alliance to End Hunger Board Member
• Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa
• RESULTS
• Share Our Strength
• Stop Hunger Now
• Howard University Law School, World Food Law Institute
• World Vision

Prominent hunger leaders from around the world discussed the role that universities and student play in the fight against hunger, including:

• David Beckmann, President of the Alliance to End Hunger and Bread for the World
• Catherine Bertini, Former Executive Director of the UN World Food Program
• Eva Clayton, Alliance to End Hunger Honorary Co-chair, former Congresswoman from North Carolina and former Assistant Director-General of FAO. 
• Congressman Jim McGovern, Democrat from Massachusetts
• Senator Pat Roberts, Republican from Kansas
• Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Program

The idea of universities becoming further engaged in the issue of hunger was sparked by a partnership between the World Food Program and Auburn University.  Together, they created UFWH and began working to address the pressing issues of world hunger and malnutrition.  In less than four years, the UFWH movement has spread to more than 60 campuses across the country.  This builds on numerous efforts over the years to work with university and colleges, such as on World Food Day or through the National Student Campaign against Hunger and Homelessness.  

The Fourth Annual University Hunger Summit will be held in the spring of 2009 at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  For more information on the 2009 Summit, email hungersummit@gmail.com.