C R E ATING A S U STAINA B L E F U T U R E
Hunger in Our Community
By Amy Aossey, Executive Director of the Yavapai Food Council
S
ome may not see the
connection between
peace and hunger. I do.
For me, promoting a
culture of peace means
caring for your community and
finding ways to empower and support those in need.
Arizona ranks in the top five
states for poverty in our country,
with one out of five adults considered “food insecure” or uncertain
of where their next meal will be
found. Our Northern Arizona
Yavapai County is even higher with
one out of four adults suffering
from food insecurity. An even more
shocking reality is that one out of
three children in our community
are food insecure.
The Yavapai Food Council is
deeply involved in eradicating
these demeaning levels of hunger.
Our mission is to build community
support for meeting the needs of
the hungry through education and
resource development; to increase
the production and distribution of
locally grown healthy food, and to
be a voice for the hungry.
As the Executive Director of the
Yavapai Food Council (YFC),
I occasionally encounter the individual who feels that those who are
poverty-stricken and hungry have
consciously made a choice to live
their life dependent on others. There
are many factors that contribute
to hunger and poverty, including
IMAGINE l Autumn 2015 27