I appreciate that on Dec. 24 the Gazette decided to print a letter to the editor by Andrew Morehouse from the Food Bank of Western Mass. and a guest column by state Representative Aaron Vega of Holyoke on feeding students. Both men invite us to take steps to address the overwhelming issue of food insecurity and its negative effects. Rep. Vega invites us to consider the experience of children sitting in school hungry. He helps us to think how difficult it is to pay attention and function when we are forced to go without eating. He asks for attention to this problem and suggests urging legislative support for a program called Breakfast After the Bell.
I hope you will make a call or send a letter or email to your own representative to support this legislation. When constituents reach out to their representatives, it does make a difference. I am saddened by one almost spoken reality of students facing persistent hunger. By living in an economic and resource structure that drains too much of their energy and attention for basic needs and security, students and people in general are not able to live to their full potential. Because of this, they lose opportunity for themselves and their families.
Additionally, we all lose the fuller range of skills and talents they could have contributed to the larger community. We all face challenges and must overcome burdens that sap our attention and energy at least at sometimes. Many of these challenges we cannot control. Hunger in our communities is something we can overcome, step by step. Supporting the Food Bank is something some of us can do. Encouraging support for Breakfast After the Bell is something all of us can do.
Ed Olmstead
Florence