Representatives from three Northeastern food cooperatives recently attended the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. On Sept. 28, Amy Crawford (Marketing and Community Relations Manager at Brattleboro Food Co-op), Karin Mott (Marketing, Education and Membership Manager at Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op) and Allan Reetz (Director of Public and Government Affairs at Hanover Co-op Food Stores) traveled to Washington, D.C., for the conference, which focused on addressing hunger nationally and globally.
“The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health was an excellent opportunity to network and come together with like-minded individuals, all there for one common reason: to end hunger,” said Crawford. “This conference not only set the scene for these individuals, but also set the groundwork to begin making strides against hunger in the U.S. Families, students and individuals everywhere are suffering from hunger worldwide, but we need to start at home, where we can make the most impact.”
Mott said she also was grateful to attend the conference, noting that its focus aligned with, and built upon, Middlebury’s priorities.
“On my journey there, my focus was on healthy food access, a topic that is always top of mind at Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op,” she said. “What I found at the conference was something more — I found access of a sort I hadn’t expected — access to humanity.”
That access was exemplified by the nearly 600 attendees from all over the country, dedicated to ending hunger in the United States. Many officials from the highest levels of the U.S. federal government made the day a priority, delivering speeches and, in some cases, remaining to spend the entire day with the attendees, answering questions and engaging in conversations. Mott said she was able to talk to officials about specific issues affecting her co-op.
“At [Middlebury], WIC accessibility has been an issue for us — the current system does not allow for a store like ours to become WIC certified,” Mott said. “At the conference, I was able to track down Stacey Dean, the Deputy Undersecretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services. She listened to my questions, took down my contact information and promised a follow-up through the regional WIC office.”
“Best of all, she owned that she was the person to help with this issue, and she was available to me that day in a way that I could not have expected,” Mott added. “I am so grateful for this opportunity and to have spent the day amidst a group of folks so committed to the betterment of humanity.”
“Being a part of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health was an honor,” Crawford said. “It is heartening that our political leaders recognize the need to be a part of the solution to ending hunger, and even more importantly, they have a strategy to end hunger by 2030.”
Learn more about the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health here.
