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Illinois Ag News Headlines
Food Insecurity Conference Set for March 29
Illinois Ag Connection - 03/23/2017

In 2015, 42.2 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children. [Hunger Facts & Poverty Statistics: Feeding America]. The McDonough County InterAgency Council will host a daylong conference, "Food Insecurity: How it Affects Our Children," March 29 at Western Illinois University.

The professional development conference, sponsored by the WIU College of Education and Human Services, WIU Department of Health Sciences and Social Work, the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA) at Western, the McDonough County InterAgency Council, Regional Office of Education No. 26 and the SIU School of Medicine, will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the University Union Grand Ballroom.

From 9-10 a.m., WIU Health Sciences and Social Work Chair Lorette Oden and IIRA Director Chris Merrett will present on local food insecurity issues; from 10-11 a.m., Alan Shannon, USDA Food and Nutrition Services-Midwest Region, will discuss regional food insecurity, and from 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m., former Illinois State Director of the USDA Rural Development Colleen Callahan will present the keynote speech on how the nation deals with food insecurity issues.

A panel discussion featuring Frances Welch and Mary Garlick from C.A.R.E., Diane Erickson from Riverbend Food Bank, Kathie Whitson from Soup'N'More and Jodie Smith-Brown from Midwest Food Bank will be held from 12:30-1 p.m. There are two concurrent breakout sessions from 1-2 p.m.: "College and University Food Pantries," presented by Mandi Green, University Union program coordinator, and Mandy Kreps from Spoon River College, and "Community Gardening" presented by WIU Agriculture Professor Joel Gruver. WIU social work alumni will present "Social Work in the Field" from 2-3 p.m.

While the event is open free to the public, participants are asked to donate one non-perishable food item to benefit the WIU Student Food Pantry, and to register in advance at wiu.edu/coehs.iac2017 or by calling Pete Tarantola of Big Brothers Big Sisters of McDonough and Warren Counties at (309) 837-5437.


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